The Great Manipulator
by bobisdacool1
Summary: To advance his kingdom, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown seeks out talented individuals from the New World. One such individual is rumored to reside in a village on the border of the Elf Country: The Great Manipulator. Lord Ainz has dispatched his twin elven guardians to investigate, and hopefully make an alliance that is beneficial to Nazarick. However, rumors often lead to surprises...
1. Chapter 1 - Confrontation

_**(A/N): Thank you to everyone who has read the original version! Major revisions have been done on the entire story. At the moment, updates are on hold until after Vol 14 is released so that I don't unnecessarily contradict canon.**_

_**(I'll remove these notes with future revisions, as necessary. If this is your first time reading this story, I hope you enjoy it!)**_

Bright tentacles of sunlight slowly creeped their way along the wooden floor of the chief's bedroom, crawling their way to the loose blankets sprawled over the tiny bed. Tall bookshelves stocked with ancient tomes stood as sentries over the room as the rays of sunlight searched for their target. In a matter of minutes, they climbed the exquisite bedspread and began to smother the bed's single inhabitant. After a violent struggle, the delicate creature cocooned under the covers rubbed her eyes open.

"I wish Hagmar would stop opening my curtains…" the wood elf muttered to herself.

On cue, a frail old woman shuffled into the room and bowed to her master. "Good morning, your brilliance." The maid and counselor offered her hand to the young chief, and with a strength beyond her appearance, she pulled the elf straight out of bed.

The young elf shivered in her naked body as her protector reached for the crimson cloak balled up on the floor.

"I can dress myself…"

"Miss Cellica, if you act like a child, what am I to do but treat you as a child?" The old woman cracked a wrinkled smile as she draped the girl in the fine, loose-fitting robe.

"Thanks…" Cellica looked down at the foot of one of the bookshelves.

"Would you perhaps come down for breakfast with me? I had Glarald prepare your favorite berry flat cakes today…" the frail old maid pleaded softly, warily looking over at the bookcase that had entranced her charge, as it had every morning.

"Maybe tomorrow…" the girl lied as she walked over to the shelf and brushed her fingers over several coarse, dusty spines. She stopped at a book with slightly less dust, a relatively recent addition to her collection. With a grunt, she yanked the large volume out from its neighbors and plopped it onto her bed.

Hagmar stood there silently shaking her head, wondering whether things would be different if the girl's parents were still alive. This child was the crown jewel of the village – without her, the people would have surely been wiped out or enslaved almost a dozen times over the decades; however, she was neither the most magically talented nor the most charismatic person in the village. Yet, this tiny wood elf before Hagmar was gifted with something else; for that, none of the other residents in the village minded that their chief spent most of her days isolated in her room. After watching the elf child read in her bed for several minutes, the maid sighed heavily and exited the room, leaving her revered leader in solitude.

As the hours passed by, the rays of sunlight receded from the dim bedroom, which smelled of old parchment and dewy leaves. Cellica was nearly halfway through the two thousand-page epic when she heard a commotion outside her window. Her long, droopy ears perked up, and she could make out the voice of an unfamiliar child from among the sounds of the villagers. Quietly, she marked the current page and closed the book, then slowly slinked over to the window to eavesdrop.

Suddenly, Hagmar burst into the room with a frantic fury. "My child! My child! You must come quickly! Envoys from the Sorcerer Kingdom have requested an audience…"

"… I will grant their request…"

The aged elf relaxed immensely, thanking the gods that this elf child was cooperative, at least when it mattered most.

"… They can speak with me here." The young chief gestured to her dim, unclean bedroom, then sat down on her unmade bed.

The blood in Hagmar's brain began to boil. She was unable to comprehend how this child could be so arrogant, so disrespectful, so…

Several crashes came from the stairway outside Cellica's room, and before either of the women could react, a ball of energy leapt into the room. It was a dark elf child, roughly the same age as Cellica, dressed in a red shirt and white suit. A few seconds later, a second elf child wearing a blue shirt and white skirt ran hurriedly into the room, stopping slightly behind the first elf.

"There you are!" the red-wearing elf pointed an arrogant finger towards Cellica, who blinked lazily.

Several wood elf soldiers hurried into the bedroom, each taking their place amongst the bookshelves to surround the intruders. Cellica used the momentary distraction to solidify her strategy – how to negotiate with these powerful visitors and bend them to her will, as she had done with others several times before. Every statement would be a gamble; a single syllable poorly uttered could spell her defeat.

"So, the great Sorcerer King finally sends someone to speak with me…" Cellica spoke softly, but confidently. This seemed to aggravate the red-shirted elf even more, as intended.

"Yes! I am Aura Bella Fiora" – the red elf pointed emphatically at themselves – "this is Mare Bello Fiore" – they waved their arm dismissively at the blue-shirted elf – "and we are subordinates of Ainz Ooal Gown-sama, powerful ruler of the Sorcerer Kingdom!"

Aura exhaled slightly as she waited for a response. She was fairly confident that the little girl in the center of the room was the person she and her brother were looking for – after all, she had by far the highest stats of anyone they had encountered in the village. However, that wasn't saying much; the elf girl stood like a blade of grass over a ground covered in moss, while both Aura and Mare were towering trees. Still, Aura reminded herself to be cautious – her adversary was rumored to have strong mental abilities, and masking her powers could be one of them. The fact that the girl was much weaker than originally anticipated, even given the low regard the Guardians had for New World inhabitants, meant that the possibility of illusion was probably high.

Cellica took a moment to study her adversaries before giving her response. The reason that she displayed such low power to the twins was simply due to her actually being that weak. However, she was used to being outclassed, and she saw every interaction with a being more powerful than herself as an opportunity. The fact that she hadn't been killed on the spot added at least one point on the side of continuing the conversation, she reasoned.

One thing that immediately stuck out to Cellica was the fact that the dark elf's words went through the world's autotranslate. Over the course of her reading habit, Cellica had taken the time to learn a few languages from neighboring regions in order to be able to understand some of the foreign books that she had acquired. As her understanding of another language grew, she would no longer hear its words translated. So, the first thing that Cellica discovered was that these dark elves were not raised in the nearby dark elf enclave. They must have been originated from elsewhere, though Cellica was unfamiliar with the elf territories in the east. _I wonder how long they've been working for the Sorcerer King…_ She also considered the possibility that they _were_ from the nearby territory, but had adopted the language of the Sorcerer Kingdom. _Either of these things could be true… I shouldn't jump to conclusions…_

Cellica turned her attention to the dark elves' appearance. The boisterous dark elf in red looked quite easy to read on first glance, but the quiet elf in blue was more mysterious and… intoxicating? She had read several stories about various dark elves, but they were never described as being especially attractive. The one named Aura was surely more handsome than any of the boys in Cellica's village – though his (or her?) heterochromatic eyes conjured up memories of the despised Elf King – but the one named Mare was in a category of her own. The young chief had not quite developed feelings for other elves, and especially not for boys, but this beautiful skirted dark elf before her made her shiver. _Focus!_ she told herself. _The quiet ones are usually more dangerous too…_

Realizing that too much time was passing, the wood elf opened her mouth to speak, "I am Cellica Winterleaf, chief of this humble village."

She paused again to consolidate her thoughts before making her first serious gamble. The arrival of the Sorcerer King's envoys presented an opportunity to fast-track her plot against her enemies. If Cellica could gain the Sorcerer King's favor, things might just fall into place. _Even if it's risky, I need a direct audience…_ "You may take me to speak with your Sorcerer King."

Hagmar let out a fearful gasp, while the elf soldiers stiffened in their armor. Aura appeared slightly flustered, while Mare blushed and looked down at the ground. Cellica chided herself for holding her gaze on the blue elf for too long.

"Hey, wait! You don't get to talk to Lord Ainz without an invitation!" Aura moved dangerously close to Cellica, jabbing her accusative index finger into Cellica's chest. "And furthermore, how do we know you're not a decoy? You look like a weak little goblin, your room is dark and filthy, and you just expect us to believe that _you're_ the Great Manipulator who wiped out an army of ten thousand men?!"

The wood elf's chest burned from Aura's pummeling, but she continued standing, trying not to wince from the blows. Cellica typically refrained from displaying weakness in front of her opponents unless she intended for them to underestimate her; in this case, however, her foe was so strong that Cellica would not be able to intimidate them with mere posturing. Maybe it would be alright to play up some of her weaknesses… plus, by letting her opponent get so close to her, Cellica was able to conclude by their scent that Aura was indeed female. What else might these dark elves reveal?

In any case, this was the sort of response that Cellica expected, so she was willing to accept the pain. _There… now they have an idea of what I want from them… Let's just hope that whatever they want from me won't be too painful to part with… Ugh… I hate having to put on a performance without any warning._

"Some people do call me by… that name, I have heard, but my abilities are not in physical strength or magical power. In fact, I am quite weak in those categories…" Cellica lifted her arms above her head, letting the loose sleeves of her robe expose her thin, white arms. "What kind of test did the powerful Sorcerer King have in mind for me, to prove my identity?"

Cellica had gained the uncanny ability to read people from their body language, although ironically it was only after having developed her habit of reading books in seclusion that she seemed to have mastered it. She had gained a few other mental abilities in concurrence with her reading habit, although she was unsure whether they were a natural consequence of gaining knowledge or whether they came from some other unknown force. In any case, this was the only arena in which Cellica had any confidence in her skills; however, just because she had not met anybody who could match her abilities did not mean that such individuals did not exist. Additionally, even if she could impress these dark elves before her with some cheap party tricks, she recognized the inordinate power disparity between them.

While humans might make the mistake of underestimating these elves due to their childish appearance, Cellica obviously knew better. Even without the mental faculties of fully-grown elves, these children, who weren't that far off from her own age, nevertheless had acquired decades of knowledge and experience. The fact that they were hand-picked to represent the Sorcerer King by itself demonstrated that their mental abilities must be far above average. Cellica realized it would be a mistake to think she could outwit them.

Aura grinned smugly at the chief, taking a few steps back towards her partner. "You better not go easy on her!" she whispered. Cellica's maid and the soldiers remained frozen in fear, while Cellica inhaled nervously. The one named Mare had been silently observing the scene up till now, and if Cellica's intuitive sense of how intelligent people should act was correct, then this opponent of hers would be quite dangerous. She also suspected that Mare had some sort of powerful charm abilities or items, because she couldn't keep her eyes off of her.

Mare stepped forward hesitantly, clutching his staff to his chest. The white and black gauntlets he was wearing clashed with his otherwise humble appearance. Lord Ainz had told him to be cautious around this "Great Manipulator," but only gave him a few specific instructions on how to deal with them.

"If they react peacefully, that would be most fortuitous… I would rather not send you and your sister all that way just to end up disposing of them, at least not without acquiring something of value first…" Lord Ainz had mused when he first proposed the idea of sending them out.

"Do-do you think they'll try to hurt us?"

"I don't know… or rather, I don't know whether they will intend to harm you; I highly doubt that they would be powerful enough to actually harm you. After all, it was only human adventurers who mentioned this person – I wouldn't take their fear to mean all that much…"

"R-right."

"Besides, if this person is truly as powerful as the rumors, they are not likely to attack you. However, I would like you to measure their abilities, to see whether the rumors are true. It is possible that they could become an ally of the Sorcerer Kingdom – in fact, that would be the best outcome."

"Y-yes, Lord Ainz!"

"Anyway, Mare, I am sending you on this mission because I trust you – I am putting my faith, and the faith of the other Supreme Beings, into you."

"Th-thank you, Lord Ainz!"

Mare had walked away from that meeting feeling extremely proud. _Lord Ainz is so cool, and he's so wise and merciful! I'm not so scared anymore! I can do this!_

Then, when he had received the mission objectives report – written and signed by Lord Ainz himself – he had been overjoyed to be given such a big responsibility. "For your eyes only," read the first line. It had made Mare extremely happy. He assumed that his sister Aura had been given a similar report, but still, it felt good to be selectively entrusted with a task from a Supreme Being.

"Mission objectives: Primarily, determine whether the target can be made an ally of the Sorcerer Kingdom; secondarily, gather information from the target and safely transport them to Nazarick. Friendly relations are to be established if possible. Gain the trust of the target: No use of force or mind-altering abilities are permitted; disinformation and deception are allowed if necessary. Under no circumstances is the target to be allowed to perish until after they meet with Lord Ainz." Mare, who found it difficult to make friends even with fellow denizens of Nazarick, thought this first part would be pretty difficult, especially the part about not letting the person die. Even if the Great Manipulator wasn't outright hostile to him, there were many circumstances in which killing a non-member of Nazarick felt like an appropriate or convenient response.

"Contingency plans: In case of hostile target with credible threats of harm, use Contingency Protocol 5A. If target uncooperative with regard to mission objectives, defer to your collaborator (Aura) for assistance. You are permitted to equip but not use your world item." Thus, Mare's instructions did not leave a lot of room for failure, which reassured him that Lord Ainz had full faith that he would find a way to succeed. Even so, he didn't have the faintest clue of what was the best way to proceed, and he felt slightly annoyed at his sister, who had much stronger interpersonal skills, for so suddenly giving him the reins to the conversation.

Mare's habitual nervousness was starting to set in. At first, he was relieved that the "Great Manipulator" was just a little girl – he had originally imagined a great big sorcerer with sharp claws and long pointed horns, whose eyes spiraled hypnotically as their frosted breath sent shivers down his spine. However, Mare remembered some of the scary stories he had read from Nazarick's library Ashurbanipal, and how many times the powerful spirit was disguised in the body of a creepy little girl. This girl claimed to be physically weak, but she wasn't fazed by Aura's finger-jabbing – something that always left him with a small bruise if left untreated. Plus, when his sister was doing the talking, why did the girl have to keep looking at him so hungrily?

"H-hi!" Mare squeaked, shakily pointing the end of his staff in her direction. He cringed under the pressure of her gaze, now fully focused on him, as he felt the girl visually undress him. Subconsciously, he pulled down on his skirt with his free hand, trying hard to maintain eye contact with her big, turquoise eyes.

"Are you afraid of me?" Cellica sounded both pleased and worried, while her face softened. Mare furiously shook his head, though he was still wary. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Even though he didn't mean to give off the impression of weakness, at least it didn't make the girl turn hostile. _Is it bad if I pretend to be weak? Lord Ainz-sama said it was okay, but sis will probably yell at me…_

Aura simmered in the background, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and one knee bent. _Of course, she's all nice and polite when it's _him _that she's talking to, just as Lord Ainz-sama said would happen... I wish I could smack that filthy brat right in the face for being so rude! And why's he acting like such a fraidy-cat?!_ Of course, it didn't even cross Aura's mind that Cellica could actually inflict pain on her brother, even if he was a wuss.

"C-can you please show me how your powers work?" Mare continued to keep his distance from the girl, even though every indication told him that she was quite harmless. In truth, the gap between their strengths was like the distance between stars in the sky, but having only ever met vastly inferior people in this new world, Mare was unsure how she stacked up. Additionally, Lord Ainz took interest in a few of these inferior beings, so even if they were weak, their abilities were still valuable, or even dangerous.

"It's a bit difficult to demonstrate without much preparation… but I'll try, for you…" Cellica attempted to make her voice sound sweeter, to placate the beautiful creature before her. _Why is she so terrified? I haven't even done anything yet, and she's got all of that crazy equipment. I bet she could level this entire village with just one of her gauntlets!_

Mare shivered at her sweetness, and tried to think up a way to evaluate her abilities without antagonizing her. _I wish Demiurge was here – he'd know exactly what to do… Why are her eyes so scary?! Big sis acts like she's so weak… No! Stop looking at me like that!_

Unbeknownst to Mare, Cellica was also struggling to keep her mind in check. Unlike adults, who developed wrinkles and creases from decades of habit, it was much harder to read Mare's face for traces of her past. Her clothes didn't hold any hidden secrets either: No stains from blood or dirt; no wear and tear from battles long past; no loose threads to speak of. Of course, the fact that Mare's clothes were so immaculate was indicative in and of itself for something deep within her personality. This fact combined with her visible apprehension left Cellica feeling slightly disturbed. _Maybe there's some past trauma, but I'm afraid to try that approach. _With someone who could kill her in an instant, it would be best not to bring up something awful, like dead parents or horrific wars or scarring abuse. _I better just use my catch-all hook…_ "I know! Mare, do you like to read?"

The dark elf blinked, then nodded shyly. Cellica felt a tinge of elation knowing that her crush shared something in common with her. Of course, she suspected this answer even before she asked it, and most people she asked answered in the affirmative, so she shouldn't have been so excited. Still, it gave her confidence to continue speaking.

"Tell me if you've read a story like this: A hopeless girl is given an impossible task. She makes a deal with a magical creature in order to fulfill her task. However, the cost of that deal ends up being too much for the girl to bear, so she begs the creature to be merciful. He alters the deal: If the girl is able to correctly guess his name, she will not have to pay his price."

"I-I think I've read a story like that!" Mare interrupted, shedding some of his nervousness. Aura rolled her eyes at him, while Cellica's heart leaped.

"Good, because then you know how this story ends. The girl takes advantage of the creature's mercy by spying on him and learning his name. Thus, she is able to reap all of the rewards of completing her task, without ever paying a price."

"Ohhh…" Mare mumbled softly, still unsure what this girl was getting at. He remembered reading a story like this in a book of fairy tales, but couldn't recall the story's name. Most of those stories had some sort of underlying moral to tell. When he read this one, he remembered feeling slightly angry that the girl won without any negative consequences, even though the magical creature was the more honorable character.

"Okay, but what's the point? Don't make stupid deals with people weaker than you?" Aura interrupted, tapping her feet against the ground impatiently. It was frustrating for her to listen to this girl talk, on and on, about cryptic things that may or may not be all that important. Lord Ainz had given her rather limiting instructions, so she had asked Mare to take over before she got too pissed off. Her thoughts drifted to the instructions hand-written by her wise and powerful lord, with memories of her initial reactions combining with her current mental turmoil.

"For your eyes only." _Yes! Top secret mission! Though I guess Mare received this too…_

"Mission objectives: Primarily, extract information from the target; secondarily, secure the target and bring them to Nazarick for further interrogation." _Well, she kinda already turned herself in… and maybe if she keeps talking, she'll say something useful._

"Consider the target a threat." _As if! Well, Lord Ainz-sama is right to be cautious, so I better keep paying attention._

"Voluntary compliance is key: No use of force or mind-altering abilities are permitted." _Ugh! Why not? All this would be over by now if I just used my charm ability on her… _Aura knew her master had very good reasons for his instructions, even if it made things more difficult. _She might be able to resist charms, and that would be very bad… I'd be in trouble without your wisdom, my lord!_

"Disinformation and deception are recommended but not required." _Yes, sir! To you, Miss Manipulator, I'm Aura the idiot who asks all the dumb questions, but to me, you're the Great Blockhead who falls for Aura's traps and reveals all her secrets! _She glanced at Mare and couldn't tell whether or not he was acting, but nonetheless, she added, _You've fallen for my little brother's trap as well! You might as well give up!_

"Under no circumstances is the target to be allowed to perish until after they meet with Lord Ainz." _Thank the Supreme One that you still have air in those lungs, Great Numskull!_

"Contingency plans: In case of hostile target with credible threats of harm, use Contingency Protocol 5A." _Ha! Well, it would make things more interesting if things got to that level, but I guess every mission needs a contingency plan… Eh, if only it were cooler than just retreating. I wanna see Demiurge's Protocol 66 get used for once…_

"If target uncooperative with regard to mission objectives, defer to your collaborator (Mare) for assistance." _Already done…_

"Additionally, use of world items is permitted if the completion of the secondary objective threatens Nazarick, by _your_ judgment." _Hahahaha! Don't tempt me!_

"Final note: Be prepared for target to concentrate on your collaborator (Mare.) Security Protocol 2 in effect." _I kind of feel bad asking him to talk to her now… Lord Ainz-sama is always right! Still, this means he wasn't trusted with all the info in this report… I bet it's the part about using my world item… teehee…_

As Aura thought over the contents of her master's instructions and how she intended to carry them out now that she had a better idea of what she was dealing with, she misheard Cellica's response. "Eh? Come again?" _Aura's being a dumb-dumb, so please repeat yourself in simpler language, Great Manipulator!_

"I said that the story is an allegory about my own life. Do you not know what that means?"

Aura shook her head, continuing her charade.

"Ahhh… I think I know…"

"I'm like the girl in the story. I accomplish impossible tasks at no cost, not through magical powers but through underhanded tactics."

"Whaaa…"

Aura ignored her brother's nervous stammering, and asked, "But you can't possibly do _everything_ without magic, right?" She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow with what she believed was the right amount of doubt. Of course, Aura already knew that Cellica wasn't being completely honest; while not impressive by any stretch of the imagination, she could see that Cellica's magic potential was definitely above zero.

"It is quite easy to convince humans to do things against their own interests. For example, pretending to a general of a ten-thousand-man army that our most valuable treasures are stored at the bottom of a heavily-guarded icy crevasse."

"Y-you did all that, without magic?" Mare wasn't sure he could believe it, but then again, he did not detect very much magical ability within her. _Maybe she has one of those Talents that Lord Ainz-sama is looking for?_

"… I don't believe you! Lord Ainz-sama was right: Your powers _are_ just hype." To the contrary, Aura found Cellica's claims quite credible, considering how stupid she found the few humans that she had the misfortune of interacting with in the past. In fact, if the claims were true, Aura's respect for Cellica grew; expending precious MP or physically exerting oneself just to exterminate some pesky humans seemed like a bothersome waste. Aura's ulterior motive was to provoke the Great Manipulator to reveal her secrets.

"Those men did end up dead at my hands, my impatient friend… Besides, don't you want to know one of the _many_ ways your great Lord may end up the same way?" Cellica knew that she was going off on a limb, and at the same time, she was burning one of her strongest cards against the Sorcerer King should the relationship turn sour. However, she judged the risk to be worth it. _I can't just let them leave – with them on my side, _he _doesn't stand a chance!_

Aura couldn't keep from laughing at what was so obviously a bluff by this arrogant little wood elf. _The real Aura is laughing, too, but please, go on… Please redeem those stupid adventurers who fell for your tricks and put my master through all this trouble…_

Mare, on the other hand, felt absolutely livid. This little elf girl with practically negligible magical ability nevertheless destroyed a human city-state and kept several demi-human clans in subservient alliance – at least according to what Lord Ainz had given him in the mission briefing – and now she dared to threaten his beloved Lord Ainz? _She can't be serious! And why is sis laughing like all this is a joke?_ _Did she not read the report? _It was speculated that the Great Manipulator had help in taking down the city-state, and probably possessed a sophisticated information-gathering apparatus, at least by New World standards. The fact that Cellica claimed to know they were coming and yet didn't attempt to flee was especially concerning for Mare. Given that she figured out his favorite pastime, reading, how deep did her spy network go? What was her goal?_ How much does this girl know about me? Is she connected to the people who attacked Shalltear? What if she's trying to get me to betray Lord Ainz-sama? No, I won't let her! Even if she's lying and can use mind-control – I won't attack Lord Ainz-sama, no way!_

"L-lord Ainz-sama cannot be tricked!" Mare shouted defiantly, walking closer towards Cellica until his nose was almost touching hers.

"Ainz Ooal Gown is not his true name, is it." Cellica stated flatly, trying to maintain her calm even though she could almost taste Mare's sweet scent. However, there was something off about that smell that she couldn't wrap her head around – it didn't seem to be one belonging to a girl.

"You'll have to do better than that to impress us!" Aura gently pulled Mare back towards her, then locked gazes with Cellica and searched for any traces of deception in her face. Then she looked around at each of guards in the room, some of them melting under her glare, before finally settling on the old maid. _Of course! They're working together! … She must control an entire spy network, that's the only possible way she could know… That is, if she even knows Lord Ainz-sama's other name…_

"Please calm down…"

Aura turned to see that Cellica was attempting to calm her brother, who had closed his eyes and was using his hands to cover his ears.

"S-stop looking at me! I won't betray Lord Ainz-sama!" The stress of having this monster of a girl staring into his soul was causing Mare to break his typically stable demeanor. To him, it was like having a creepy insect crawling on his skin and underneath his clothing, and being forbidden from smashing it or swatting it away. He knew his behavior was unbecoming of a floor guardian, and that stressed him even more. The only thing that didn't make him break completely was the fact that he hadn't yet succeeded in his mission, even if it pained him to try to be friendly with this sinister-looking creature before him.

Cellica briefly reconsidered her original course of action, then decided to try another approach. After all, she didn't actually know Ainz's other name, but her experience reading hundreds of stories about mysterious powerful people indicated that he had more than one name. Powerful people tend to leave their name to history, and more often than not, a powerful being who seems to have appeared out of nowhere is actually just someone re-emerging from the past. Cellica could try to guess which historical figure was the true identity of Ainz Ooal Gown; however, she had another ability up her sleeve.

It was Cellica's strongest move, and she had only used it once before, on a demihuman. While in her mind it was just an extension of her mental prowess, this power was actually a low-level form of psychic magic. In Yggdrasil, psychic magic was somewhat limited in strength against other players as a natural consequence of being a game: Mental attacks would only affect a player's avatar, rather than their own mental state. Even in the dystopian world in which Yggdrasil was developed, unwanted penetration into other people's minds was highly illegal. As a result, the use of psychic magic for information-gathering purposes was not very useful, so most of those spells were relegated to the lower tiers.

However, Cellica was not operating under the rules of Yggdrasil. Mental penetration was very much a thing in this world, which made effects like mind control that much more dangerous.

Unbeknownst to Cellica, she had leveled up considerably after the fall of the human city, as her contribution to the death of several thousand soldiers was recognized as experience. Almost all of her current abilities came about as a result of this event, and not, as she assumed, as a result of her reading habit. Of course, her reading habit also generated experience, in addition to producing knowledge, but to have reached her current level, it would have taken several hundred years of reading alone.

Still, her level was quite weak. If she had the aptitude to apply herself as a magic caster, she would still be unable to perform tier three spells. It was practically a farce of nature that she had learned her trump card, the tier two spell [Read Mind]. Only as a result of learning the most basic techniques of magic as a child, when her aptitude was still uncertain, had she been able to overcome her magic block and pull off this feat. Unfortunately for Cellica, she could not articulate any of this; in fact, since almost all psychic spells are cast nonverbally, she didn't even know the spell's name. Additionally, since she had only been able to cast it once previously, she didn't even realize that her ability was magic.

In Yggdrasil, [Read Mind] could be used to learn an enemy's immediate intentions or actions, but with a low degree of complexity. For example, a strong caster of the spell could determine whether the enemy intended to attack or defend, which weapon or equipment they would use, or the general direction in which they intended to move. As a second-tier spell, its accuracy was relatively low and its effects were relatively easy to resist or negate entirely, at least for higher-level beings. In the New World, the information that could be obtained with [Read Mind] was more diverse – the attack was made in the form of a question that would compel a response from the target – but the communication complexity of the information gleaned still had be compressible within a short phrase or single word. Perhaps a Level 100 caster performing the spell on a Level 1 being would be able to parse out a few sentences worth of information, but someone of Cellica's power attempting the spell on Level 100 beings like Aura and Mare would likely only yield a single word, assuming they put up absolutely zero resistance.

Cellica was faintly aware of the limitations of the spell – she had only been able to understand two words when she performed it previously, and she had had to pour all of her concentration into the spell in order to overcome the target's quite perceptible mental resistance. She had realized shortly before this point that the reason she had been unable to read Mare's face might have something to do with his enormous power advantage, so she felt fairly confident that her ace move would fail as well, especially with him actively avoiding her gaze. Thus, she would only be able to pull off her trick with the elves' cooperation.

This wasn't such a bad tactic, but up until now Cellica had preserved her mysterious reputation by being notably silent about the specifics of her abilities. She intended for her adversaries to wonder whether she had an army of spies collecting information; if they fully understood that she obtained the most sensitive information from reading their own expressions (among her various tricks), nobody would ever meet with her face-to-face. However, she would have to expose herself eventually, so Cellica decided to proceed along the dangerous tightrope she had laid for herself.

"I'll show you my strongest move, but I need you to help me," Cellica said softly, looking at Aura. "I need the Sorcerer King's help… and I want to prove myself worthy of it," she continued, before kneeling on the floor with her head bowed low. Hagmar and the elf soldiers momentarily froze, surprised to see their leader humble herself so pitifully.

Aura wanted to burst out laughing, but stopped herself. _Is she serious?_ "What's your strongest move? And get to the point this time!"

Cellica lifted her head slowly and sat up on her knees, then replied, "If I concentrate hard enough, I can read minds. That's how I was going to learn the Sorcerer King's true name."

The assembly of wood elves gasped, while Aura's casually arrogant expression faltered briefly. _So that was the point of her weird story… maybe… but I'll need proof that she can actually do this._

"However, I don't think I'll be able to read _your _minds. You're way too strong for me. Plus, I need to look into your eyes to be able to do it…"

Both Aura and Cellica glanced over at Mare, who blushed embarrassedly and opened his eyes, before assuming a more dignified posture. "S-sorry."

He was apologizing less to Cellica and more to his lord for his pitiful behavior. Plus, he hadn't picked up on the fact that Cellica was actually trying to be friendly and cooperating with his request to show them her power (assuming that this wasn't just a trick); Mare could easily imagine a scenario in which his overreaction could have pushed Cellica in an undesirable direction.

"Here, look into my eyes instead," Aura suggested, much to everyone else's surprise.

"If I'm able to do this – if I learn his true name – do you promise to take me to see your lord?"

"…Sure." Aura made sure to pause and sigh dramatically as if she were making a real concession. Of course, Cellica would be taken to Nazarick regardless.

The wood elf took a deep breath and prepared herself. She straightened her back, and then planted her hands on her thighs. Then, she focused her eyes directly on Aura's pupils and felt the blood flowing through her brain begin to churn.

Aura decided to mirror Cellica's position, so she kneeled and sat down on the floor as well. She was a little unsure about where to direct her eyes, so she settled on the bridge of Cellica's nose. _This is uncomfortable… Now I know how Mare must have felt having this girl creepily staring at him…_

"I'm all set to begin. It'll be like I'm asking you a question. When that happens, please focus on the response and don't put up any resistance. That's the only way I'll be able to understand you, I think. Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Ok." Cellica felt a soft wave flow through her mind as she channeled her vision into the eyes in front of her. The green and blue irises blended together and then melted away until all that Cellica could see was an empty void. Then, she asked her question: _What is the true name of Ainz Ooal Gown?_

Aura was surprised by the faint tingling she felt in her forehead as well as the space behind her eyes as the girl in front of her pierced into her soul. She could feel the weak connection that had been made between their minds, and how easily she could break it – she imagined it to be like a single strand of spider's silk connecting their two heads together. However, she didn't hear any questioning voices in her head like Cellica had suggested. Still, she repeated the name "Momonga" over and over in her mind, as if it might increase the chance of being heard. Then, she felt the spidery strand gently vibrate, and then pull away from her head. _Did it work?_

Of course, Aura wasn't cooperating with the wood elf out of sympathy. Instead, she wanted to know exactly how Cellica's power felt like when it was used – information that might be useful to Lord Ainz, and allow him to save face for sending out two floor guardians for someone who turned out to be so weak. Aura also had an ulterior motive: She wanted to compare this psychic ability with her own power to charm beasts as part of her beast tamer job class, and wondered if she might be able to learn some of this branch of magic for herself. Thus, it was in her interest to observe a successful application of Cellica's ability.

Floating over the softly churning void, Cellica waited for a response. She considered that it might come as a voice, an image, or maybe even a taste or smell. In her previous use of the spell, she had seen an image of the location she was looking for. She wondered how a name might come to her. Several seconds had passed since she had shouted the question into the void, but nothing appeared. Then, from the tar-like surface of the void, something stirred.

Strengthened by Aura's focus on the image of the Sorcerer King, the tar in front of Cellica twisted and bubbled into the shape of two figures, one kneeling in submission to the other. From its distinctively elven-shaped ears, Cellica surmised that the kneeling figure was Aura, while the fearsome figure must have been the Sorcerer King. The tarred forms were not very detailed, especially as the viscous substance making up their bodies was constantly flowing and bubbling, but Cellica was able to make out the skeletal features of Lord Ainz's face and hands, one of which was holding a large staff. The Sorcerer King's imposing body was wrapped in what Cellica decided was a thick, flowing robe. His arms were outstretched in a powerful but benevolent display, clearly reflecting that this was Aura's interpretation of her lord.

Suddenly, the skeletal face turned to look directly at Cellica. She flinched in fear, causing the tarred figures to melt slightly, but had enough resolve to not break the connection. Then, the Sorcerer King lifted his free hand and opened it, revealing a small, round rodent with a gray swath of fur on its back and a light patch of fur on its fluffy underside. It reminded Cellica of the squirrels that inhabited her village forest. To her surprise, the squirrel leapt from the Sorcerer King's hand and spread its arms, like a glider, towards her. Another squirrel appeared from the fearsome ruler's hand, and it too flew in her direction. Several more were generated, until there were almost a dozen flying squirrels gliding around Cellica. She noticed that the tarred figures had melted back into the void, and she was left with the confusing response to her question. _I don't understand what this means…_

In sad frustration, she broke the mental connection and her vision returned to her bedroom and the dark elf sitting directly across from her. There was a dull pain in her forehead, and she felt like she was close to fainting. Her elbows buckled as she tried to keep her posture stable.

"D-did it work?" Mare asked excitedly. From his point of view, it just looked like the two girls were having a staring contest, and Cellica had just blinked. However, she looked like she was about to pass out.

"I was shouting his name as loud as I could! Don't tell me it didn't work!" Aura leaned in towards Cellica and gently grabbed her shoulders to keep the girl from falling over. Aura could tell that she had lost a lot of MP, and it didn't appear to be an illusion, either.

An experienced psychic caster who studied and practiced the proper technique of [Read Mind] would have expended a much lower amount of MP, in addition to performing the spell in only a fraction of the time. On the other hand, an experienced caster would likely have given up after failing to receive a response within three seconds of performing the cast. In fact, what Cellica saw in the vision was not a response to her question but rather the manifestation of Aura's hyper-focused thoughts.

"I saw… flying squirrels…" Cellica stammered weakly. However, to Aura and Mare's ears, thanks to the auto-translation system of the world, she appeared to say, "I saw… momongas…"

"Woah…" Mare's mouth hung open in awe, while Aura sighed with relief. The rest of the room was confused as to why the dark elves were reacting in this way.

"But… I don't understand… his name is Flying Squirrel?" Cellica tried to make the connection, but because she said the phrase as a proper noun, it wasn't auto-translated.

Wondering whether the expenditure of effort was having an effect on Cellica's brain, Aura decided to come to her aid. "No, you just said his name: Momonga!"

Thankfully, Cellica's mind was still operating well enough to connect all the dots. "I see, Momonga is his name. That's… oddly humorous."

"Eh?"

"Momonga translates to… a cute little creature… in your language," Cellica mumbled slowly as she leaned even more against Aura's stabilizing arms.

Both dark elf twins were positively stunned, while the elf soldiers started murmuring amongst themselves. They had just witnessed an impressive display of their leader's power, and were collectively rejoicing.

"Sis, is-is that true?" Mare asked feebly.

"I've never heard of anything called a 'momonga…'" Indeed, Aura was unfamiliar with the creature – it was purely a feature of the world's auto-translate system that her repetition of the word was interpreted as such.

Cellica let her heavy head rest comfortably against Aura's chest, before interrupting, "So, now you'll take me… to meet with him?"

Aura frowned with slight disgust and lightly pushed Cellica away, causing her to fall limply into a curled ball on the floor. Mare seemed to take issue with this, but Aura was unphased as she stood up and reached for the scroll hanging by her waist.

"First, I'm gonna put you somewhere _safe_," Aura replied, with the definition of "safe" clearly advantaging the dark elves.

Mare bent down and tried to help Cellica to stand, though clearly all of her body weight was being supported by his left arm underneath her left armpit, and the friction between their shoulders. This was evident by the fact that Cellica's feet weren't even touching the floor, dangling loosely just a few centimeters above. Mare thought it was rude to leave the girl splayed on the floor. However, confronting his sister over the item she was holding seemed more important. "Sis, we're not supposed to use our…" his voice trailed off as he indicated toward the world items they carried.

"Lord Ainz specifically gave me permission." Aura carefully removed the scroll from its holder, and brought it in front of her.

"But sis…" Mare was slightly hurt by being left out of what seemed to be a critical part of his lord's instructions. The world items carried by the twins were only to be used in emergencies or when specifically directed by Lord Ainz. It didn't seem to Mare that this was an appropriate use of the item – even if Lord Ainz had given Aura the discretion to use it.

"She knows something about Lord Ainz-sama's glorious former name that we didn't! She can't see Lord Ainz until we know more, and she can't stay here!" Aura moved her eyes around the room, taking a good look at each of the elves who had overheard Cellica's blasphemous words. One of the glaring soldiers caught her eye, and she noticed that he had his weapon raised toward her.

The power twinkling in Aura's mismatched eyes reminded the soldier of his cursed king, the despised ruler who murdered his own subjects for his pleasure. Sinote Balcren had watched twelve years earlier when the royal officials took his beloved sister away to the frontlines against the human savages.

In one of the few instances when he had been able to speak with Chief Cellica personally, he had caught a glimpse of her terrifying bloodlust for their ruler, and from that day forward he had sworn on his sister's memory that he would serve the chief completely and unquestioningly, even if it meant laying down his life. In fact, he adored Cellica so completely that he fantasized about marrying her when she came of age. In his mind, she was the embodiment of a true leader. The intruders before him were monsters like that evil king – their eyes marked them. Sinote seethed with hatred as he stared at the dark elf holding her scroll, cursing himself for allowing things to go on this long already.

_It's as if we're ants to them._

"No need to worry – I'm not gonna kill her," Aura stated calmly, still keeping her eyes focused on the young chief.

"Lady Cellica graciously complied with your demands, and you're not even keeping your end of the deal! You inbred royals!" Sinote made a desperate rush forward at Aura, but it was over with two cracks from her whip. Since her usual whipping hand was occupied with the scroll, she had to grab her whip with her free hand, and thus wasn't able to exercise as much control as she would have liked.

Cellica watched helplessly as one of her few friends from the village was knocked towards a bookshelf, his flayed corpse sending a flurry of pages drifting downward. His blood slowly oozed onto the floor, soaking several pages along the way. His neck had snapped from the impact, so while his back was to Cellica, his lifeless eyes were staring up at her. Before she could scream, the elf chief vomited pathetically onto the floor, fortunately avoiding Mare's immaculate clothing.

Mare flinched, but didn't let Cellica drop from his arm. Seeing the tears forming in her eyes, he worried that he was going to fail his mission. _This is so gross! Why does sis have to ruin everything?!_

Aura looked around the room apologetically, realizing that she had used way too much force. "I, uh, didn't mean to do that…" The other soldiers quickly dropped their weapons and huddled shamefully against the bookshelf-lined wall.

Meanwhile, Cellica was focused on the blue light flowing from Sinote's corpse into the evil black gauntlet on Mare's hand. While she had originally been savoring the feeling of being held up by her crush, now she felt completely repulsed by the horror she was witnessing. Attempting to make Mare let her go, she squirmed and tugged on the thorny glove.

Realizing that he had accidentally kept Avarice activated against Lord Ainz's instructions, and seeing Cellica's distressed focus now placed on himself, Mare quickly de-equipped the black glove, which caused the glowing to stop. However, between holding his staff and holding Cellica, he didn't have a free hand to fully remove the glove that was now loosely hanging from his fingers. Before he could deal with that, he was distracted by the beautifully ornate scroll that his sister was unfurling.

Terrified of the scene before her, Cellica stopped squirming and closed her fingers around the evil glove that Mare had almost dropped. She was too tired to keep her head from slumping against Mare's neck, and her eyes drooped shut despite the increasing brightness from the scene before her. Suddenly, the flapping of loose papers in the breeze was replaced by a white mist, as the colors of the room around her melted like a painting. _Am I dead?_


	2. Chapter 2 - Throne Room Report

Hagmar groaned as she pushed herself up off the floor. It had been several minutes since Cellica had disappeared, along with the intruders. The setting sun's rays danced playfully over the corpse of the fallen elf soldier and the layer of yellowing pages scattered on the floor. She was still too stunned by what had transpired to even consider leaving the room. _Will the intruders return? How will I tell the villagers that their chief is gone?_

The old maid looked out at the elf soldiers shivering fearfully throughout the room, then followed their gaze toward the opened scroll lying on the floor. Suddenly, a white glove reached out through the brushed surface, and attached to it was the red-shirted dark elf named Aura. Hagmar backed into a corner of the room so as not to be noticed, while the elf child rolled up the scroll and brushed herself off.

"You're not doing a very good job of hiding, you know!" Aura turned and smiled menacingly at the old woman. "And as for the rest of you – you call yourself soldiers?"

Several shadowy creatures darted in through the window of the room and approached each of the wood elves, including Hagmar. "Hey, I can handle this one myself. You guys start cleaning up this mess." One of the creatures shook its head and motioned towards a bare patch in the room where the exposed floorboards resembled a pastel painting.

"Mare's going to be babysitting the prisoner for a little while."

The wood elves' ears perked up when they heard that their chief was still alive, though they were still fearful from the shadowy figures that were now corralling them toward the center of the room.

Aura had argued with her brother about staying behind, but finally relented when she realized that it must be part of Lord Ainz's plan. Normally Mare's world item would make him immune to the effects of her own world item, the scroll [Depiction of Nature and Society], but having only one of the gauntlets equipped meant that he was sucked into the other world along with Cellica. Naturally, Aura could have brought Mare back with her, but it seemed that his de-equipment was intentional.

Aura had originally wondered whether Cellica had been responsible, but quickly determined that that would be impossible. De-equipping an item such as a gauntlet through brute strength alone should only have been possible on low-level items. If opponents could be defeated with such cheap tactics, like cutting off a finger to de-equip a ring of power, the world would have devolved into anarchy by now. Plus, as a world item with additional resistances, forceful removal by an opponent should have been impossible. In fact, Aura's world item was unique in that opponents could take possession of it without actually defeating her.

In any case, the only logical conclusion that came to Aura's mind was that her brother had de-equipped the item himself because he wanted to make sure he was teleported. That got her thinking – if her lord had given specific instructions for her alone, it was possible that he had given separate instructions to Mare, and this was part of them. After all, her own instructions involved actions that didn't make sense on the surface, but were appropriately cautious for an adversary with so many unknowns. That being the case, she couldn't just come out and ask Mare what his instructions were – that would defeat the purpose of her lord's preparations. Mare didn't know her instructions either, and if he did, and the Great Manipulator really did have mind control or other charm abilities, he could have warned them about Aura's item. With all of that in mind, Aura took a deep breath and thanked Lord Ainz in her heart that he had so wisely prepared for everything.

Speaking of her master, Aura received an incoming [Message], which she answered promptly.

Hello, Aura. Is everything going smoothly? One of the Hanzos informed me that the, uh, you activated your world item.

…Yes! Lord Ainz-sama, Mare and I made contact with the Great Manipulator. I captured her with my item, but Mare, uh, thought it would be best to stay with her…

Hmmm… you believe she poses a threat to Nazarick? Are you sure your brother won't be in more danger to her mind-altering abilities?

Well…um… He indicated that this was part of the instructions you gave solely to him…my lord!

There was a long, worrying pause.

Please let me atone for my mistake, lord!

It's fine. I checked the registry, and Mare doesn't seem to be under any ill effects. I realize that giving you separate instructions meant that some improvisation would occur. Please return to Nazarick immediately – you can fill me in on the threat she poses, and we'll discuss further steps there.

The [Message] ended, and a [Gate] was opened. The Hanzos quickly gathered up the soldiers, as well as the intact books and pages, and brought them through the portal. In less than a minute, they stripped the room bare.

Aura grabbed the old maid by the hood of her robe and lifted her several centimeters off the ground. "Is there anything else of value here?" she asked. The old woman shook her head, while Aura sighed in disappointment. The room had held a lot of books for a personal library, but there weren't any items that appeared to be very rare or powerful.

"Alright, then come on." Aura took the old woman's hand and nudged her towards the portal. "Oh, I almost forgot…" She motioned for two of the Hanzos to stay behind and watch over the village. Then, she pushed the old woman gruffly through the portal, then paused for a few seconds before walking through it herself.

On the other side, Aura saw the vampire Shalltear, who was controlling the [Gate], glancing over at her curiously. Two death knights approached Aura and Hagmar, then escorted them into the great tomb, all the way to the throne room, where Lord Ainz Ooal Gown was waiting calmly. To either side of him were his close advisors, Albedo and Demiurge, their general disapproval weighing down on Aura like a fully-grown dragon standing on her back. She couldn't help but cringe a bit, even though she feared their scolding much less than the gentle disappointment that was typical of her lord.

One of the death knights shoved Hagmar to the ground. Demiurge used his vocal control to put the old maid into a vegetative state until she was needed. Aura got on her knees and touched her nose to the floor, too ashamed to gaze upon the beauty of her lord. Even though it had been Mare's suggestion, she had shared in the decision to leave him in the otherworld with that dangerous creature.

"Aura Bella Fiora… please rise," Ainz said gently. Silently, Aura lifted her head, but would not meet his crimson gaze. "I permit you to speak."

"I apologize for my error in judgment Lord Ainz-sama! I cannot bear the shame of disobeying you!" Aura cried.

Both Albedo and Demiurge appeared to have something to say, but Ainz's outstretched arms stopped them. They were forbidden to speak or otherwise interfere.

"I had merely suggested several courses of action on incomplete information, so I am not displeased that you chose one that I had not considered. Please describe everything that transpired," Ainz whispered gently.

"Yes, my lord!"

"May I look upon your face as you explain?"

"Y-yes!" Aura turned her visibly tear-stained eyes and looked into his glowing pupils. She explained how she and Mare found the village, and ultimately found the chief.

"I see… the Great Manipulator was posing as an elf child… humble chief of a lowly village on the border…"

Aura continued explaining the initial interactions, including how the elf girl wanted to meet with the Sorcerer King. Ainz thought it odd that a village chief would so boldly request an audience with him. Besides, if they knew Ainz was coming, and were aware of his overwhelming abilities, why would they risk capture, unless the Great Manipulator wanted something from Ainz…

"Did this girl express any motivations as to why she wanted to meet with me?"

"No, my lord, only that she needed your help for something."

"I see, go on."

Aura explained how Cellica told Mare with a story about a peasant girl stealing power from a magical creature by learning its name, and how Mare was familiar with this story.

"She said it was an 'allegory.'"

"Wait, really? Did they elaborate?"

"She said something about being like the peasant girl and using trickery on the humans, but I… didn't really understand what she meant."

Demiurge was shaking his head in disgust.

"Lord Ainz, please tell me what I did wrong!"

"It… is alright. Please ignore Demiurge's rudeness and continue."

"Ok… I was getting impatient, so I forced her to show her hand. She somehow knew that you had another name."

"WHAT?! They know me under my former name, Momonga?" Albedo's wings fluttered slightly at the mention of that name.

"Well, no – at least, I don't think so. She said she needed to read my mind in order to discover your name."

"Hmmm…" Ainz noticed that she appeared slightly flustered, so he gently nodded for her to continue.

"I… wanted to see if she could actually do it, so I…"

"You idiot! You purposefully exposed one of Lord Ainz-sama's secrets?!" Demiurge spat, before prostrating himself before Ainz. "Forgive me, my lord, but I couldn't…"

"Leave us, Demiurge." Ainz pointed toward the exit. Demiurge picked himself up and walked out in shame.

"Albedo, make sure you fill in Demiurge on everything that we discuss here in his absence." Fear filled the faces of both Aura and Albedo as they anticipated the wrath that would surely be directed at Aura for her foolishness.

"Aura, you must have had a good reason for letting her into your mind."

"Yes, my lord! I believed it would be harmless, considering how weak she appeared and how we were going to bring her to Nazarick anyway…"

"…But something went wrong, I assume?" Ainz didn't particularly want to scold her, even if he thought she had taken too big of a risk. She already looked apologetic enough as is.

"Well, kind of... She did learn your name, but she also found out something else…" She glanced over at Albedo, before continuing, "…and that's why I used my item on her."

"Something else? Can you elaborate?"

"Uh… it'd be safer if we were alone, my lord…"

"Hmm… is that so… Albedo, please join Demiurge outside," he instructed calmly, to which she apprehensively complied.

After a few seconds, when he was sure nobody else would be listening, Ainz permitted Aura to speak. "Now, what is so dangerous that even the other guardians should not hear?"

"She… discovered the meaning of your name, Momonga… and thought it was… funny."

"Huh?"

"She said that a momonga is a weak little creature. That can't possibly be the source of your glorious name, right?!"

"Oh…hmm… well, she is correct that momongas are weak… I'm really not that good at coming up with creative names," he chuckled to himself.

"So, it's true?!" Aura couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Aura, it's nothing to be concerned over. Your creator's name, Bukubukuchagama, means "bubbling teapot," and that's not a particularly fearsome description."

"What do you mean?" Aura thought her beloved creator's name was quite awe-inspiring.

"Eh, well, I would've been more impressed with this Great Manipulator if she knew my other name, the one I went by before I became Momonga."

"Momonga… isn't your true name?"

"Ha! No…"

"Then… I used my item… over nothing…"

"Well, you were just being cautious. I appreciate that you wanted to protect me."

Aura blushed at her lord's compliment, and his expressionless face appeared to be smiling back.

"Alright, now is it okay to let Albedo back in? Maybe it was fortunate that she didn't hear this, after all."

A few moments later, Albedo returned to her master's side, relieved that he appeared to be in a good mood. In the other room, she and Demiurge had been furiously coming up with plans for every possible contingency that might have been discussed.

"Hmm… Albedo, what Aura explained to me was not as threatening as she thought. However, I would have expected even you as well as Demiurge to have reacted in the same way, so this is in no way a slight against Aura's judgment."

"My lord, may I hear what this confusion was about, so that I can inform the other guardians that they have nothing to worry about?"

"Uh… not right now, uh, Aura still needs to finish up her report."

"…Understood. No more interruptions, then."

"Okay, so Aura, you were at the part where you activated your item. I presume that Mare accompanied you to the otherworld, since that is where he is now…"

"Yes. He went with me, and wanted to stay behind… and said it had to do with one of the instructions you gave him."

Ainz chuckled softly. "…Yes, well it seems my separate instructions to the both of you were overcalculations on my part." He recalled what one of his friends had said previously about getting information through lawful interrogation. _Good cop, bad cop, huh… If only it didn't take so long to get results. If I knew the Great Manipulator would be so weak…eh, it worked out in the end._

Aura's face turned red, and she prostrated herself again. "But Lord Ainz! Mare is still in the other-world with her. I checked that we can resist her mind-reading, but did we really make the right call?"

Ainz chuckled hollowly to ease some of the tension. It still made him uncomfortable to see his children behave this way. "It is fine. You did not know this, but I had two reasons for engaging with this person, hence the different instructions to you and your brother. The first was to glean some more information; you were able to secure their entire library, which I will have the librarians look over. Thank you, Aura."

"My lord…" Aura blushed, and a small smile crept up on her face.

"Yes, and the second reason, which you did not know, was that I intend to make her a servant of Nazarick, to use her abilities to our advantage. For that reason, it is more beneficial that you left Mare behind."

"Huh?" Bewilderment swept across Aura's face.

"I trust your brother to carry out my wishes."

Complicated emotions welled up within Aura, but she tried not to let it show on her face.

Albedo coughed timidly, trying to get Ainz's attention. "Hmmm, do you have something to say, Albedo? I permit you to speak."

"My lord, I wanted to remind you that Mare still appears in the guild registry with no unusual status." While she was speaking to Ainz, it was clear that her statement was directed towards Aura, who still worried for the safety of her brother.

"Yes, that is what I expected. It appears that the Great Manipulator does not use mind control, or at least their abilities do not change Mare's status."

Aura was not completely convinced, but she couldn't say so to her lord.

Ainz chuckled softly again. "Aura, it pleases me that you care so much for your brother. It is how Bukubukuchagama intended for you to be."

Aura beamed timidly.

"Additionally, she created your brother to be quite capable. Please remember that." Ainz could see that Aura had started crying, not out of sadness, but out of a more complicated mixture of emotions. He stood up from his throne and walked over to her trembling figure, before scooping her up in his arms. He wasn't used to seeing Aura's sensitive side, but it filled his heart with warmth as he patted her back and gently stroked her hair.

The main reason why Ainz had been so calm throughout the entire proceeding was because he had full faith in his subordinates, even if this foe's true strength was unknown. He reasoned that the Great Manipulator would seek Mare's help to survive in the other-world, and the fact that Aura still carried the scroll on her back meant that they were still safely quarantined there. The only question was whether Mare had successfully persuaded the girl to ally with Ainz.

Ainz turned his eyes to the old woman unconscious on the floor behind Aura. "Ah yes, I almost forgot. I would like to hear from you as well."

As if released from a spell, Hagmar immediately turned up her head and gasped in horror at Ainz's undead visage.

"Is something the matter? Please state your name."

"No, your majesty, nothing is the matter! I am Hagmar Blackthorne… I thank you for showing me mercy! I apologize for the disrespectful actions of my charge! I plead you to spare the villagers for the trouble she has caused you! Take my life instead of theirs!"

"Your…charge? What is your relationship to the Great Manipulator?"

Hagmar hesitated for a second on how much she wanted to associate herself with her assumed deceased chief. How could that child navigate these situations so effortlessly compared to her, whose experience traced back almost a millennium? "Your grace, I am but a humble servant to the chief, Lady Cellica. I advise her on administrative matters when she seeks it, but those occasions have been so rare… I have always stressed to her the importance of respect and manners – I have dishonored our people by failing to guide their young chief –"

"Do you dare deceive me?!"

"No! I speak the truth!"

"Then explain to me how an elf child becomes chief of a strategically-located village – how a mere child destroyed a human city and made vassal states out of five demi-human clans that previously ravaged the elf country!"

"Your excellency, I… cannot explain those things – this child, she was given a gift –"

"By a magical creature she subdued?" Ainz recalled the story that Aura had been told.

"…No! I only mean that metaphorically – I believe she was born with it. Her parents – they were just average wood elves; they were both trained with the bow, no magical ability beyond the second tier; they were taken away from Cellica when she was very young, drafted into the Elf King's army, where I assume they perished…"

"What are her abilities, exactly?"

"I must apologize, your majesty, for I do not understand them myself. She would give me orders – no, more like requests; at first, I questioned some of them, but eventually I realized that there was a chaotic order to them – at some point, all the pieces would fall into place, and our village would prosper."

"Are you suggesting that she destroyed a city… with words?"

"They were not just words, your majesty – somehow they were exactly the right words… I was not present for all of the negotiations, but I remember Lady Cellica managed to get under every adversary's skin, as if she understood how they thought. She also sent out several soldiers on scouting missions, seeking very specific reconnaissance that at the time did not seem very useful to me… I remember that she learned that the human king sought powerful items and that his soldiers were over-supplied with weaponry and under-supplied with defensive gear…"

"That is enough. I am quite familiar with clandestine tactics. Now answer me this: What did the Great Manipulator know about the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

"Your grace, if I could please interject and inform you that Lady Cellica highly disapproves of that moniker which others have given her." Hagmar caught an evil glare from the black-winged maiden standing next to the Sorcerer King.

"Hmmm… and why is that?"

"She believes it depersonalizes her… she does not like to be given titles."

"I see… I will grant her request, and ask you again: What did Cellica know about the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

"I was not aware of any knowledge beyond that which has been spread throughout the land – your sudden appearance, the great massacre of the Katze Plains, your heroic deeds in the Holy Kingdom…"

"How did she know my name?"

"Your majesty, I do not understand… the name of Ainz Ooal Gown must have spread throughout the continent –"

"No, how did she know my previous name?"

Hagmar was dumbfounded by this question, which she assumed had a very obvious answer. That is, unless Cellica already knew the Sorcerer King's name before displaying her power… Hagmar thought long and hard about how to answer this question. She did not recall any scouting missions to any region close to the Sorcerer Kingdom… besides, Cellica never shared any of her intel with Hagmar, much to her frustration. "I do not know for sure, your excellency. I assumed she learned it from reading the mind of your subordinate…"

"So, you're suggesting that she may have discovered it some other way?"

"She draws much of her inspiration from her books. Perhaps your previous life was recorded in one of them…"

"That is not possible!"

"I apologize for my idle speculation. When she made her claim to your subordinates, I believed she was bluffing – she seemed intent on securing an audience with your majesty."

"Hmm… well, it turned out not to be a bluff… And yet, you still claim she possessed no foreknowledge about me?"

"If she knew anything, she did not share it with me, your majesty."

"Tell me, Hagmar, why it seems that you do not know very much at all about your own charge – her abilities, her actions, her knowledge, her intentions. Your usefulness to me is growing thin…"

"I deeply apologize, your grace!"

"I will give you one final chance. Why did Cellica want to meet with me? Do not tell me that you do not know! You must know what motivates this powerful child!" Ainz knew that it was probably of no use to give this old woman an ultimatum – the Great Manipulator was probably wise not to share too much about themselves, even to their closest advisor.

"Your majesty…" Hagmar paused, croaked as if she were about to speak, then paused again. This continued for several seconds.

"Yes?"

"I believe Lady Cellica… wished to use your power… for…"

"For…?"

"Forgive me, but I do not know the extent of her goals; however –"

Ainz had raised his arm in displeasure, but stopped himself from smiting her. "Go on…" he growled.

"However, one of her known motivations, ever since she lost her parents, was to remove the Elf King from power and bring peace to the country. I believe she also has her sights set on other regions that have been abusive over elf-kind."

"Is that all, then? She wanted my help in going on a crusade, favoring her own species above all others? And what did she have to offer me in return?"

Hagmar coughed nervously. "Your majesty, Lady Cellica tends to offer… protection… from certain weaknesses being revealed."

"She believed she could extort me for my power?!" Ainz was not particularly angry; in fact, it would be to his benefit if the Great Manipulator informed him of his weaknesses, if there were any.

"That is why Lady Cellica was named the Great Manipulator. Until now, she has always been successful. I deeply apologize for her offensive arrogance."

"Thank you, Hagmar. I believe that I am finished with you." Ainz waved his hand. One of the death knights stepped out from the ranks and took Hagmar gruffly by the arm.

"Demiurge may have a use for her body," Ainz muttered to the death knight, who nodded in understanding. The two trudged off, leaving Ainz alone with Albedo and Aura. Realizing that it would be unwise to proceed without his advice, Ainz instructed another death knight to summon Demiurge to the room. The bespectacled demon walked to Ainz's side with an uncharacteristic stiffness in his movements, before prostrating himself before his lord.

"I accept your apology, Demiurge, but I would appreciate it if you could apologize to Aura as well. I asked her to go on this mission because I have faith in her judgment, as well the judgment of all of the guardians. Please do not doubt that faith. Because of Aura's actions, we now know that the Great Manipulator uses psychic magic, and that Aura and Mare are strong enough to resist it when necessary."

The demon lord bowed deeply to Aura, who returned the bow respectfully.

"Now, Albedo will summarize what was discussed in your absence. Your input is requested on how we should move forward."


	3. Chapter 3 - Crossing the Threshold

"Could you please put that back on?" The girl was still clinging onto Mare's body, and in her hand was Avarice, one half of the world item that Mare carried. He had previously overreacted and fully de-equipped the item, instead of just deactivating its effects; as a result, the only thing keeping the glove from slipping from his fingers even more and falling to the ground was her small hand gripping onto it. Thankfully, she complied with his request.

"Mare! What are you doing here?" Aura had also been transported into the other-world, as the owner of the world item [Depiction of Nature and Society]. While the initial scene looked just like the bedroom they had left, if one walked several steps, they would see the pastel colors of the surrounding room distorted. After several more steps, the room from before would resemble a flat painting. Surrounding the painting was a dark cave, dimly lit from the pastels of the sunlit bedroom.

"Sis, you're messing up the mission!" Mare looked over at the girl hanging limply in his arm, tears staining her eyes and bits of vomit crusted around her mouth.

Aura's face was starting to boil. She took Mare's arm and was about to give him a stern lecture when Cellica's probing stare stopped her.

"We got all the information we need for reporting back to Lord Ainz!" Aura hissed into her brother's ear.

"Please don't be so hard on…him… it's my fault," Cellica mumbled, not being fully aware of the situation.

Aura shook her head and turned towards Cellica. "The only reason you're still alive is because I was specifically told by Lord Ainz-sama not to kill you. You insulted Lord Ainz-sama's glorious name!"

"I'm sorry… it's a beautiful name…"

"For everyone's safety, you're staying here until Lord Ainz-sama is ready to deal with you. However, if you cause too much trouble, I can use my power over this place as I see fit."

Cellica suddenly felt chills as certain status effects were activated for a few seconds. It was as if her heart had stopped beating, as if the icy chill of death itself were grasping her heart, her lungs, her voice, her soul; then, in an instant, the feeling vanished. _What is this place?_

"Any questions?"

Cellica met Aura's fiery gaze before looking over at Mare's beautifully simmering face next to hers. "Can Mare stay with me?"

Aura pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Whatever you're up to, it's not gonna work."

"If Mare stays with me, I promise to not escape."

"Escaping here is impossible anyway. I have some minions blocking the exit."

Cellica hung her head silently, while Mare decided it was his turn to speak. "L-lord Ainz-sama gave me my own instructions… and sis, you're not making it easy… Maybe if you go, and I stay here…"

"Absolutely not! What if what she did back there wasn't really her strongest move!" Aura blurted. She knew in her heart that Cellica couldn't possibly harm her brother, especially in her current condition, but she was so shaken by that heretical revelation that she couldn't take any chances.

"I… can't even walk. I promise… to be nice to him… and not use my powers…" Cellica stammered pathetically.

"Mare, what exactly did Lord Ainz-sama tell you to do?"

"I-I can't tell you… sorry… but it involves… her."

Aura rolled her eyes at such a non-answer, but decided that she should be accommodating, especially since these were orders directly from Lord Ainz. It stung slightly that she wasn't the only one given secret information.

"Here, I need you to try that move again." Aura grabbed a purple potion from her inventory and splashed a few drops onto Cellica's face. In just a few seconds, Cellica felt strength in all her muscles, as if she had just woken from a long, refreshing nap.

"You can let go of me…" Cellica instructed softly. Mare immediately obliged, and her feet landed on the cold, stone ground. Her strength and confidence restored, she gave Mare a brief hug and thanked him for being so kind to her.

"I-it's fine… y-you're not very heavy…"

"Alright, alright, you're at full stats again! I wanna see you try reading _his_ mind – you said if we try to resist, you won't be able to do it, right?"

"I think so… None of my other moves work on you…"

"Well, I just wanna be sure!"

"Ok," Cellica sighed. She didn't want to use up all of her energy again now that she was feeling better, but she couldn't argue with Aura's logic. "You're a really good big sister…"

"I'm not worried about him!" Aura retorted, growing red in the face. "This is just really useful information for Lord Ainz-sama, that's all! Now Mare, come over here, I have an idea…"

"O-ok!" The dark elf twins walked several paces away until they were out of Cellica's hearing distance. Cellica decided to get back into her kneeling position from before, though the uneven ground felt uncomfortable against her shins. She wondered how long she should keep the mental connection open, since it was highly unlikely that she would get a response.

"Ok, here's what you're gonna do…" Aura walked over to where Cellica was sitting, Mare in tow. She instructed her brother to sit on his knees across from Cellica; he gently placed his staff next to him and fumbled with his skirt so that nothing would be exposed in this position. Cellica thought she briefly saw something underneath that was a different color from Mare's white skirt, but couldn't be sure, and obviously didn't want to appear as if she were trying to sneak a peek in the first place.

"Now, _you_, Mare's gonna think of a number between one and a hundred. You're gonna try to figure it out. If you guess it wrong, then I'll let him stay here with you."

"But… I want him to stay here with me…"

"Exactly. So, if you guess it right, Mare has to kiss you – on the lips!"

"S-sis, I-I didn't agree to that!"

Cellica considered asking for an even greater reward for the Herculean task in front of her, but decided that this was a sufficient incentive. "I accept."

With everything all set, Mare braced himself against the onslaught. His sister had warned him that he would feel a tingling in his eyes, and that a string-like connection would form. When that happened, he was to quiet his thoughts and break the string with all his mental might. Presumably, that would preclude the possibility of Cellica learning the number he had chosen, and just to be sure that she couldn't make a lucky guess, he had chosen a number bigger than 100.

After several deep breaths, Cellica relaxed her mind and once again felt the flow of energy pulse through her brain. She stared at the mismatched eyes that caused other parts of her to stir, until she reached the bubbling void. Mare's mental space was much more active than Aura's – abstract forms rose and fell from the viscous surface surrounding Cellica, but she couldn't decipher any of it. _What is the number you're thinking of? _As if in response to her query, the surface went still, and then began to distort uniformly, as if she were on the inside of a black sphere that was being turned inside-out.

Before she could process what had happened, Cellica was back in the cave, looking out at Mare's terrified eyes. Her fatigue had returned, perhaps not as bad as before, but she was still too weak to maintain her posture. This time, Aura came to her rescue, grabbing Cellica's shoulders before she faceplanted onto the stony floor.

"So, what's your guess?"

"He… kicked me out… I couldn't understand anything."

"Are you sure? You look like you could really use that kiss…"

Cellica blushed and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"At least make a guess at the number! You have a one in a hundred shot, right?"

"Mmm… Guessing numbers… is not… all up to chance… like you think…"

"Sh-she's right, sis – I wouldn't pick all the numbers equally…"

"Whatever, just make your guess."

"Fine…" Cellica paused as she tried to deduce the answer, knowing full well that there were just too many possibilities. Even if there were specific numbers that Mare was particularly fond of for this sort of game, these numbers varied based on the person.

There was something else that troubled Cellica. Even if one in a hundred odds were low, they were still much too high for the possibility of a false positive. If Cellica had come up with a test like this, she would have ensured that there was absolutely zero chance of error. If she needed to determine whether her opponent could actually read her mind, it was definitely within her bag of tricks to think of a number outside of the agreed upon range, or to not even think of a number at all.

"Hey, are you still awake?"

"I'm… thinking…"

"But it's just a guess! No thinking involved!"

"You wrote down the number… somewhere, right? So that you can't cheat?"

Mare blushed slightly at her words, then nodded.

"My guess is… four hundred and twenty."

"Hey, that's not a number you can pick!"

"Mare, did you pick a number bigger than one hundred?"

The nervous dark elf reached into a pocket on his vest and removed a folded slip of parchment, which he handed to Cellica wordlessly. She opened it, and her suspicion was confirmed. "I see… well, that's not the number I said…"

Aura snatched the slip of paper from Cellica's hand and crumpled it up into a ball. "I guess Mare doesn't have to kiss you, after all." Then, she lightly pushed Cellica so that she fell into Mare's nervous lap, and stood up.

After adjusting the girl's body so that her back was against his chest, Mare asked, "A-are you satisfied sis?"

Aura crossed her arms and grunted, before giving a vocal, "Sure. Have fun."

"Wait…" Cellica lifted her arm limply in Aura's direction. "My village… what's going to happen…"

The dark elf girl took an exasperated sigh, before replying, "Ugh, I guess I can leave a few minions behind to guard the place… Also… sorry for killing one of your guys…"

"Thank you…"

"Whatever… don't be mean to my little brother." Aura turned and started walking away towards a place where the cavern tunnels branched off.

Cellica gripped Mare's arm tightly, while he gulped nervously. _Was it really safe to stay with her? _Lord Ainz had told him that he wanted the Great Manipulator to become an ally, or even a loyal subject of the Sorcerer Kingdom; could he possibly turn her? She seemed to get along with him well enough, unless it was all just a trick… Anyway, if doing this would be beneficial to Nazarick, it would be worth it.

Lord Ainz had told him, and only him, to turn the Great Manipulator into an ally. That hadn't happened yet, and almost certainly wouldn't happen if she were trapped in this scary cave by herself. Lord Ainz being the smartest and wisest person that he knew, Mare inferred that he was supposed to use this opportunity, in which the environment put the Great Manipulator at the largest disadvantage, to turn her.

Mare watched as his sister paused at the junction. After taking a deep breath, she trotted off into the darkness, looking back towards her brother several times. After her figure vanished from view, Cellica and Mare were left in total silence, punctuated by the occasional dripping from above.

"I can tell there's a lot of love between you two…" Cellica broke the silence. She was beginning to recover some of her strength naturally, at least enough to breathe easily.

"Huh?"

"Your sister… she put a lot of faith in you by leaving you alone with me. I believe in you, too."

"Uh, well…" Was she trying to sweet-talk him for her own ends? Was she going to reveal her true power, now that they were alone? The Hanzos that had traveled with him and Aura were not here, except for the few defending the escape route, which should have been pretty far off.

"Also, I just want to make sure… you're a boy, right?" Cellica turned her head so that she was looking at him. She was already fairly certain about this conclusion, but nonetheless felt the need to state it openly.

He was slightly embarrassed that this was a point that needed to be clarified, so he just nodded.

"I think you're really pretty… it makes me sad that I didn't get to have your kiss…"

"B-but wasn't that part of your plan to get us trapped in here together?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are the Great Manipulator…"

"I'd prefer that you call me Cellica."

"I-I'm sorry, uh, Cellica."

"No! I'm not mad at you, I just don't like being called that!"

"Oh, um, ok." There was awkward silence for several seconds.

"Mare, do you dislike me?"

The boy did not know how to respond to that. Cellica definitely annoyed him, and had made things troublesome, but he didn't dislike her. Plus, she was valuable to Lord Ainz-sama, so he couldn't get too upset with her.

She seemed to take his silence as confirmation, and cursed herself for her foolishness. "Ah! How could I let this happen? I…I don't even feel sad anymore for Glaralt – the man who died back there! I promised myself that I wouldn't sacrifice my values, but what's wrong with me? My life isn't worth all of theirs!" Cellica slumped on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees, crying into the folds of her robe.

Mare wasn't sure whether this was an act, but her sobbing was making him uncomfortable. Plus, the noise she was making might attract the attention of spawned monsters, which he wasn't sure that his sister disabled. "Um, it's going to be ok, alright?"

"I don't deserve your kindness," she sobbed between bubbly breaths.

Mare tried to think of what his sister would do whenever he had a meltdown. He almost never saw Aura cry, so he was inexperienced in comforting other people, let alone a stranger. Did she enjoy being hugged? Maybe it was worth a shot…

Mare knelt down behind Cellica and wrapped his arms around her stomach, then pressed his chest against her back.

"What are you doing?"

Mare's face flushed red. He knew she would like it if he kissed her – should he do it? As he looked for a spot on her pale face, he noticed the looseness of her robe and something odd on her chest… No! He shouldn't look down her shirt – that would be gross! However, curiosity got the better of Mare and he took a longer peek, realizing that the mark on her sternum was a giant, purple bruise. Did Aura cause that? On a small being like herself, that sort of injury would have drained a lot of HP, and probably contributed to her current diminutive state. "Hey, you're hurt! I should heal that for you."

Cellica squealed and clutched her robe to her chest. "You don't need to do that – it's just a bruise…"

While there were merits to keeping her in this weakened state, Mare decided that he could build trust this way, and make up for any ill-will caused by his sister.

Mare de-equipped his world item, which wouldn't be needed in this place, and pulled out some plant material from his inventory. He crushed it up in his exposed hand. Hesitantly, he hovered his hand by the collar of Cellica's robe; he expected her to resist some more, but to his surprise she compliantly revealed the extent of her wounds, exposing her entire chest in the process.

Mare tried his best to just focus his gaze on the affected area. Unless this was some sort of illusion, her body was unmistakably weaker than his, and by a considerable amount. In several spots, it appeared that the skin had broken. How had she been able to sustain such an injury without making more noise? Now that he was putting his hand on her, wouldn't she cry in pain?

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, are you using illusion magic? I mean, you can stop pretending to be weak…"

Cellica turned her head and stared annoyedly into Mare's eyes. "I promise I'm not lying about my injuries. It hurts when you press on here." She pushed Mare's hand harder against her chest. "If anything, I was pretending to be strong. I'm surprised that you and your sister didn't take greater advantage of me – I believe you're the strongest person I've met."

Mare blinked at the compliment, and continued to heal the wound. "But… I thought you planned for all this. I know you want to meet with Lord Ainz-sama, but you're being way too nice to me… I-I'm suspicious of you… using me…" There was just too much that this girl had done that didn't fit Mare's idea of her power level. Sure, she hadn't been able to read his mind and correctly guess the number he was thinking of, but she nevertheless knew that he had cheated.

"I'm sorry, but you're mistaken, Mare. I was nice to you because I thought you were pretty, and… I don't have experience with socializing and being romantic with other elves. My aim is not to make you disloyal to your lord, because I need him to help me with something first."

"Y-you aren't trying to get me to betray Lord Ainz-sama?"

"No."

"Can you tell me what your plan is, then?"

"Maybe. You don't seem to believe what I say anymore."

Mare realized that her wound had already healed, and he was just spreading green goop over the bridge in her chest… but she still had her hand pressed against his. Was she really charmed by his appearance? He recalled that the wood elf servants that his lord had given him would also gaze upon him in the same way that Cellica did… Did he have some sort of equipment with passive charming abilities? Would all female wood elves behave this way around him? In any case, even if Cellica were pretending, maybe he could turn the tables and manipulate her into revealing more of her secrets… Lord-Ainz-sama would be so proud! He tried to think of things that women liked men to do with them – he remembered that both Lady Albedo and Lady Shalltear became extremely excited whenever Lord Ainz-sama merely touched them, and he remembered hearing a rumor that Lady Albedo bragged about getting her lord to fondle her breasts… Mare operated under the mantra that he should always keep his hands to himself, but if there was anyone who respected women most, it must be Lord Ainz-sama.

Mare gulped as he arced his hand away from the original wound area and towards Cellica's right breast. He was slightly surprised that she didn't use her hand to resist his movement, though she did flinch when he cupped his hand.

"Um, what are you doing?" Cellica stared at him with flushed cheeks.

"Oh, sorry!" Mare immediately pulled his hand away and his face turned a deep purple. "You're all healed now! I-I think we should start walking…" Even if they would just be walking in circles, it would lower the chances of monsters showing up. Even if those monsters were weak, Mare felt that they would still be a nuisance to deal with.

Cellica stood up, but her knees were still a bit wobbly. It seemed that Mare's low tier healing herbs had restored her to full health, but her energy was still a bit lacking. Additionally, she appeared to slightly stumble in pain with every step.

"I-is something wrong?" He noticed she wasn't wearing any footwear, and the rough, rocky floor of the cave was dirtying her bare feet. "Here, um, if it's uncomfortable to walk, I guess I can carry you…"

Cellica's face momentarily lit up, but she tried to decline. Mare knew that their pace would be slow if this kept up. Did Cellica find it too demeaning? Mare tried to think of what Lord Ainz would do in this situation.

Cellica found herself being scooped up by the beautiful elf boy, and although she thought he was being way too forward with her, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Did she really have some unknown magical powers? Mare was being unusually affectionate towards her, and from her own investigations she did not believe herself to be especially attractive, even to the other wood elves in her village. Maybe she actually died, and this was some sort of hallucination or after-life? Cellica had always scoffed at how romance was often portrayed in her stories, both fictional and purportedly historical, but was this any different? In any case, if her womanly charms really were effective on Mare, it might make it easier for her to make her case to his lord. She disliked the fact that he was subservient to a higher power – and one that was perverted enough to have him dress in women's clothing – but it wasn't yet time to try to set him free…

"Mare, may I ask you a personal question?"

Mare blushed and nodded. While it seemed to him that he had her wrapped around his finger, he still felt a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't that he disliked these feelings, but they were very new and unfamiliar… plus, Cellica seemed to be getting much more enjoyment out of this then he did, which reminded him about how Lord Ainz must feel…

"Are you descended from the Elf King?"

"No."

Cellica's face appeared to light up at that answer. Did she not like the Elf King? Mare had heard very little about the ruler, but wasn't that interested in knowing about him. When Lord Ainz-sama finished his conquest of the world, there would be no need for other rulers.

"Where were you born then? Who are your parents?"

"I, uh, was created by one of the Supreme Beings, Lady Bukubukuchagama-sama…"

Cellica nodded, deep in thought. _So, he was conjured by summoning magic? Can dark elves even be summoned? Does this mean he will disappear as soon as he completes his mission and brings me to his lord? Those arrogant bastards, playing God with us!_

"Created? As in, summoned, like from a spell?"

"No… At least, I don't think so…"

"Will you disappear after a certain time is up?" Cellica appeared very disturbed by this possibility.

"No way! Lord Ainz-sama won't let anything bad happen to us – he promised on all of the Supreme Beings!" Mare considered the possibility of displeasing his master and being banished in that circumstance, but decided to put that thought back into the dark depths of his mind because it was too dreadful.

"Is your lord one of the Supreme Beings?"

"Yes! He is the leader… he stayed with us after all of the other Supreme Beings left…" Mare stopped walking and started tearing up.

"Why did the other Supreme Beings leave you?"

"I… don't… know!" Mare started sobbing heavily, dropping onto his knees. Cellica could feel his heart beating quickly, as well as the painful pulses of energy flowing through him.

"I'm so sorry, Mare!" She buried her head into his shoulder, while she felt him grip her body tighter. She didn't mean to pry so hard… she cursed herself for continuing to collect information, despite her vulnerable state. Even so, she now had more questions than when she started.

Suddenly, Mare's sobbing stopped and he stood up again. "Lord Ainz-sama will never abandon us, as long as we serve him! I-I won't disappoint him!" He turned and looked Cellica straight in her eyes. "Now I get to ask the questions!"

Cellica blinked confusedly. Where was this change coming from?

"I've been carrying you and been letting you kiss me! N-now you have to give me something back! For Lord Ainz-sama!"

"Ok, whatever you want, Mare…" Cellica brushed her fingers through his hair, trying to keep from giggling at his unusual blustering.

"Um, well, first off, why do you want to meet with Lord Ainz-sama? What is your big plan?"

"Do you promise to believe me?"

"I, uh, I guess so."

"Well, then I guess you don't want me tell you."

"Well, uh, I don't have to carry you…"

Cellica giggled and started playfully nibbling on Mare's ear. "Fine, I'll tell you. You're really cute when you're self-confident like this, do you know that?"

Mare blushed and cocked his ears away from her. "That feels weird. Pl-please don't do that." Even when it felt like he had the upper hand, somehow this girl was still giving him trouble. Hopefully she was as valuable as Lord Ainz had imagined… His lord wouldn't intentionally make him suffer like this, right?

"Ok, so first, I have to explain a little bit about myself. This is the part where I reveal my backstory… you're the first person I'm telling all this to, by the way, so let me know if any of it sounds lame…"

"Um, well, personally I believe a good backstory is told in small pieces instead of all at once…"

Cellica let out a big laugh. "I want to hear about all the stories you've read… Oh, you're so perfect!"

"Uh, well I guess if Lord Ainz-sama gives his permission I can bring you to our library…" Mare was slightly enheartened that someone thought highly of his reading habit, but that couldn't distract him from the task at hand. "I-if you could please stop stalling, I promise I won't interrupt."

"Ok, right… so, uh, first, I was born, um, eighty-seven years ago, in Glarac village, to two wonderful parents, Myril and Teodi Winterleaf. We lived in a small wooden house near the village market. Every day, my parents would join the village's hunting party, and occasionally protect against intruders. Since they had very little magical ability – my father Teodi only knew one second-tier spell, and my mother could only do magic of the first tier – my parents wanted to make sure I could fend for myself in other ways. They tried to teach me the art of the bow, which was both of their specialties, but unfortunately, I demonstrated too little talent in that field as well… I tried other weapons, but, well, I was really bad at those too. By this point, my parents didn't have any other ideas… I guess at some point, they sort of just gave up on me being able to defend myself." Cellica paused and stared glumly at the cave floor.

"Oh, uh, but that changed, right? This is the part where you got your powers, isn't it?"

"Maybe. I remember that every day, when my parents came home, they would re-tell the adventures of their hunt, adding in some parts to make things interesting. When their stories started getting boring, I asked them if there were other stories I could hear. My mother didn't want to encourage my, uh, 'obsession with fairy tales,' as she called it, but my dad thought I should be free to explore something I was actually good at, so he taught me to read. At every chance he could, he would go to the market and buy me a story book. Most of the books available in my village were used to learn magic, so it wasn't very often that I had something new to read. But I loved all my books! Even if everything in them was fiction, there was always some hidden truth…"

"I-I think you're really cool for saying that… Sis says all my reading is a waste of time…"

"Aw, thanks Mare." She cuddled up against his leafy cloak, rubbing her cheeks against his neck like an affectionate feline.

"Uh, c-can you just continue with your story, please!"

"Okay… Anyway, I still hadn't gained my 'powers,' as you call them, but the books are still important. Here, we get to the turning point where things get interesting, like when the prince gets a call to adventure to save the princess."

"Is this going to be another hero's journey story?"

"Is that a specific term for a story type? Is it so overused that it has a name? Should I start over?"

"N-no, uh, I like this type of story."

"Yeah, I do too… Anyway, where was I?"

"You said there was a turning point? Something happened to you?"

"Yes. About thirty years ago, my parents were chosen in the annual draft to fight in the cursed elf king's war, where they undoubtedly perished. I resolved to get my revenge – and I know this is cliché – against the elf king!" Cellica raised her free arm into a fist and made an exaggerated steely face.

"Oooohhh! But wait, isn't the elf king still alive? Or is this a different elf king? I don't know his name…"

"That bastard doesn't deserve a name! Every breath he takes is a breath he denies to all of his subjects! He is a disgrace to all of elf-kind!"

"Oh, I like the next part! This must be when you learned your powers! You met some wise mentor or magical beast or powerful goddess, and crossed over to the underworld!"

"Well, actually, Mare, I think I might have two of these hero's journeys… The first one was sort of underwhelming, and I'm currently on the action-packed sequel with you. I think this cave could be considered an underworld; do you think you count as a magical beast?"

"No, in my hero's journey, you're the magical beast!"

"This is getting stupid."

"Actually, you're more like my dragon… not my actual pet dragons, but my metaphorical dragon, um, no offense."

"Why can't I be both? Dragons are magical beasts… also, why am I the magical beast and not the powerful goddess?" Cellica stared at him with seductive eyes.

"Well, uh, the powerful goddess gives the hero something to help him on his journey… right now, you're behaving more like the temptress blocking the hero's progress."

"Am I? Do you, Mare, find me tempting?" she teased.

"Well, you're making things harder for me…"

"Then I'll take that as a yes…"

"I think you're stalling again."

Both elves were blushing from having geeked-out on their storytelling knowledge, but they decided that this tangent had gone on for long enough.

"Well, that's because this is the long and tedious part… I'm all by myself, with no valuable skills, so I make myself available to the chief of my village. After, um, observing how he runs things, I start giving him advice, along with my other… duties. I developed a close relationship with his closest advisor, Hagmar, who tried to take care of me like a child… and still does, I guess… Anyway, at some point, the loss of our village warriors to the elf king's war invited neighboring groups to try to take advantage of us and pillage our resources. Our chief was too cowardly to fight back and would stay barricaded in his room, so I started giving orders behind his back. I used the leaders in my story books as inspiration."

"Woah! Wh-what did the chief do when he found out? Also, why did people listen to your orders? Were you that close to the chief?"

"Well, let's just say that my duties involved being in the chief's bed chambers a lot… Plus, I think everyone figured that a little girl couldn't have come up with those instructions on her own."

"Wait, I'm not sure I understand…" However, Mare subconsciously held her further away from his body anyway.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't start treating me like damaged goods!"

"I-I'm sorry! I, uh, didn't know that sort of stuff happened…"

"The elf king does it to my people all the time, too."

"But that's so gross! I mean, it doesn't make you gross, but…"

"You can stop talking about it then."

"Ok. Um, do you need a hug?"

"Yes."

"Ok… So, how did you kill the chief?"

"Well, first I managed to destroy that human city."

"Oh yeah, I read about that. It must have been really cool, being like the heroes in your stories, and watching your enemies be destroyed."

"Wait, you read about me? Like, in a book?"

"No, Lord Ainz-sama collects information and has it put together in a report before he sends people on missions."

"Oh. Well, that makes your lord a very intelligent leader."

"Yeah! Lord Ainz-sama has everything planned out for the next ten thousand years!"

"Well, that can't be completely true if he needed to send someone as strong as you to deal with me."

"I know it's true though!"

"Ok, fine, then he should have already planned for what we discuss when I meet with him."

"You'll see!"

"Alright, well, do you still want me to tell you how I killed the chief, and became the new chief of my village?"

"Yeah!"

"So, after the human city fell from within, the chief claimed credit for my strategizing. I couldn't argue with it, but he was becoming jealous of my power, so he started to mistreat me more. He started taking pleasure in hurting me, and there wasn't anything I could do about it, at least not directly."

"I would've crushed his skull with my staff!"

"Well, I didn't have you around to protect me then… Anyway, after all those humans died, something inside of me awakened… like all of my powers felt stronger, and I had more confidence in my abilities. Like, I could read the weakness on my enemies' faces, and I could create more complicated strategies in my head."

"D-do you think you leveled up? Like, from killing all those humans?"

"Huh? Is that something that can happen?"

"W-well, yes… Like, those gauntlets I was wearing – the black one absorbs experience points when you kill someone…"

"Is…is that what happened to Glaralt? You absorbed all of his energy in your glove?" Cellica's face twisted in horror as she recalled the vacant face of the elf soldier who had martyred himself before she was teleported here.

"Um, yeah, s-sorry…"

"It's…ok. It's my fault that he's dead." There was an uncomfortable pause as Mare tried to comfort her by stroking her hair, but because he was still holding her, all he could manage was to awkwardly massage her shoulder.

Cellica decided to break the silence by returning to her story. "Maybe I did "level up," as you say… but, however it happened, I was stronger after the incident – strong enough to finally bring justice to the chief. An opportunity presented itself when another invader threatened our village. I told the chief that he either abdicate his position to me or surrender to the demi-human beasts that were mounting an attack on our home. He chose to surrender, so before he went to sleep that night, I slipped some poison into his drink and murdered him in his sleep. I made sure to make it look like he killed himself like a coward. The next day, when negotiations were set with the demi-humans, I convinced his panicked advisors to allow me to continue as acting chief in the discussion, since I had stood in for the chief in a previous meeting. They couldn't let the enemy know that their strength was so overwhelming that our leader killed himself. So, after enough successful negotiations with the demi-humans, I was chosen as the new chief."

"Wow! And all of that was through the power of reading books?"

"It sounds stupid when you put it that way, but yes, in a way… I think my growing reputation as a powerful leader helped as well. It's easier to make people afraid of you when you have the advantage of peer pressure."

"Ok, so now you're the new chief… that was ten years ago, right? Why didn't you kill the elf king?"

"That's when my second journey began… I guess. The elf king is way more powerful than those demi-humans, and I wasn't strong enough to take him on directly. That's why I've been reading so much – I hope to learn enough to trick even the elf king!"

"D-do you think it will work?" Mare appeared slightly awed by her determination, even if there was an insurmountable gap between herself and her foe.

"I'm not sure anymore. You make it sound like I got more powerful by killing people, not by gaining knowledge. Maybe I was a fool to think I could get stronger without spilling more blood…" Cellica wasn't particularly against killing humans, or any living thing for that matter, with the exception of other elves; rather, she looked down on violence and refused to acknowledge the "might makes right" mentality as legitimate.

"Th-that's not true! Reading books _does_ make you stronger!" Mare couldn't give a more convincing counterargument to the "strength through violence" philosophy, especially since all of his power was acquired at birth.

"Well, I'll take your word for it… When it comes to the elf king, I've considered allying with someone stronger to do the battle for me, but at the same time, I'd like to strike the final blow myself…" She looked sweetly up at Mare's beautifully mismatched eyes, and added, "Mare, would you like to help me murder the elf king?"

Mare grew flustered looking into Cellica's eyes, which had turned bloodthirsty, and deflected, "I-is this why you want to meet with Lord Ainz-sama?"

"Yes… though there are other things I want to discuss. Do you think he will help me?"

Mare paused and thought deeply about the kindness and mercy shown by his master towards lesser beings. "Lord Ainz-sama is the nicest, coolest ruler of them all!"

"So, is that a yes?"

"I-I'm not sure… I'm not smart enough to understand his plans completely… but it won't matter, because Lord Ainz-sama will soon rule over the elf country too, and everyone will be happy!"

Cellica blinked at such a blatant revelation. Or was this just wishful thinking on Mare's part? "That sounds wonderful, Mare!"

"Yeah!"

"Will your lord rule over all of the other nations too?"

"One day the entire world will belong to Lord Ainz-sama!" There was fierce determination in Mare's eyes.

"I see… so my quarrel with the elf king is ultimately meaningless. The world will have no other choice but to bow to the Sorcerer King, then."

"Th-that's right… All who oppose Lord Ainz-sama will be destroyed!"

Cellica paused long enough to appear like she was making a solemn decision, even though in reality she had already come to this conclusion. "I have made up my mind. I want to swear loyalty to your lord, Ainz Ooal Gown." If she swore allegiance, her plans had the best chance of coming to fruition; any other outcome, and she would be dead anyway.

"Wh-what did you just say?" Mare snapped out of his prideful trance and a wide smile formed on his face.

"I want to be a servant of Lord Ainz…sama."

At that, Mare squeezed her tightly and beamed at her with bright eyes. "L-lord Ainz-sama will be so happy to hear that. I, uh, also am glad to hear it."

His primary mission was complete, with the best outcome achieved. He, Mare Bello Fiore, co-guardian of the sixth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, had peacefully persuaded the Great Manipulator to ally herself with Ainz Ooal Gown. This was an event worth celebrating. He gleefully hugged the body in his arms for all of the extra warmth and fuzzy feelings that were passing over him, and he decided that Cellica deserved to be rewarded as well. So, tilted his head downward, closed his eyes, and puckered his lips.

Before Cellica could respond, the boy who gave her goosebumps was pressing his lips against hers. Deciding to fully savor the moment, she caressed his cheek lustfully with her free hand and extended her lascivious tongue into his mouth. This was undoubtedly the boy's first kiss, which she remembered too late when he flinched away upon the touch of her tongue onto his.

Several minutes of awkward silence passed between them. While Cellica wanted to continue the conversation, she was growing tired from the mental strain earlier in the day, and felt that she was in a good enough position already. Plus, she was embarrassed about their abruptly-ended kiss. She had acted less out of sexual impulse, of which hadn't really developed, but out of how she believed a passionate kiss should be performed.

Suddenly, Mare stopped walking. At some point, Cellica must have fallen asleep in his arms. "Um, if you're tired, we can stop for a bit."

"Huh? Your arms are just so comfortable…"

Unfortunately for her, Mare set her down gently and held out his staff. "[Nature's Shelter]." Out of nowhere, the cave floor began to shake as ancient roots twisted and knotted from all directions. Stalactites and stalagmites stretched until they reached each other, forming dozens of sturdy columns. After a few seconds, both elves were completely enclosed in the rocky fortress. Magical lights shone brightly on the roomy interior that was intricately adorned with a diverse array of flora.

"This is so beautiful…"

"Oh, um, thanks." While lovers of nature would surely marvel at the structure, the shelter itself offered only the barest of accommodations, at least from the perspective of someone living in Nazarick.

Mare gently led the elf girl up a short flight of stairs into a small room with an organic bed in one corner. Although crafted entirely from living plants, even the thin bedsheets were softer than silk.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Cellica asked sweetly, with a hint of seduction, after Mare had tucked her under the sheets.

"I, uh, don't need to sleep… I have an item for that…"

"Oh…" she softly pouted.

While it was true that he didn't _need_ to sleep, Mare was quite fond of the experience. If he didn't need to be on his guard, he probably would sleep. In truth, the shelter he created was probably sturdy enough to repel any monsters that would spawn, but he hadn't created it earlier solely because he hadn't thought to do so. Plus, it would have been a waste of his MP in the event that he would need to use it against someone powerful, like he had previously thought Cellica might be. The more he thought about it, the safer it seemed for him to take a nice nap… but it would still be a good idea not to tell that to Cellica.

"Uh, well, I'll be in the room next door if you need anything…"

"Okayyy!"

He softly closed the sturdy wooden door and tiptoed to the next room over. Once in, he closed the door, exchanged items within his inventory, and sat on the bed in his sleeping outfit. As he was about to get under the soft, warm sheets, a thought intruded his mind: _But what if she actually comes looking for me? _As quietly as he could manage, which was nowhere near as stealthy as his sister but still quite silent, Mare tiptoed out of his room and pressed his ear against Cellica's door. Hearing snoring inside, he let out a sigh of relief and returned to his room. He squirmed under the covers to bundle himself in warmth, and then let his eyes begin to close.

Hello? Mare?

A familiar voice was speaking in his head. Realizing who it was, Mare silently gulped and sat up on the bed.

Y-yes, Lord Ainz-sama?

Ah, good. I wasn't sure if my Message would be able to reach you. I apologize for not speaking with you sooner.

Oh, uh, no need for apologies…

Is now a good time, by the way?

Y-yes, she is asleep.

Hmm, yes, it is quite late. Still, you should keep your voice down so as not to wake them up.

Y-yes, my lord!

Well, anyhow, I learned a great deal about the Great Manipulator, er, Cellica – that's her name, right… I learned a lot from your sister and from the materials that she collected. I still have a lot of questions, but… I'll save those for later. How are things going on your end?

S-surprisingly well, I think…

Really? Well, if she's willing to sleep in your presence… anyway, go on.

She wants to swear loyalty to you, my lord! Ainz could sense the excitement within those words.

Aha! Well done, Mare! I had faith that you could do it.

Th-thank you, Lord Ainz-sama!

Yes, well… Do you have any other important findings?

Oh, uh, she wants to ask you to help her kill the elf king. She, uh, doesn't like him.

Ah yes, I already suspected as much. Is that all she wanted?

I-I think so.

Well, that should simplify matters greatly then… Good work. Unfortunately, I will busy over the next few days, so I will not be able to have my meeting with her at the present… Do you believe it would be alright to bring her to Nazarick in the meantime?

I, um, think so, maybe…

Mare, you have spent the most time around this girl. Do you trust her? She did swear loyalty to me, after all. I am basing this decision entirely on your own judgment.

Sh-she won't be any trouble, my lord. Uh, I'll make sure of it!

Good. Then I will send Aura over in a few hours, after she finishes some other tasks.

O-okay.

Maybe you should get some rest while you wait… Are you in a safe place?

Y-yes, I, uh, used my magic to make a shelter.

Hmm, yes, quite convenient for this girl that you are with her. Anyhow, I permit you to rest while you wait, since there is not much you can do while she is asleep.

Th-thank you, Lord Ainz-sama!

Okay, well, you deserve it. Well, good night, Mare…

The message ended, and Mare happily got back under the covers and closed his eyes, his heart filled with the warmth of making his master proud.


	4. Chapter 4 - Return to Nazarick

A loud rumbling and collapsing of rocks shook the natural shelter. Suddenly awake and on high alert, Mare felt an unkind breeze over his body as the bedsheets covering him were pulled off.

"Mare!"

"I-I'm sorry, sis!" He put up his arms to shield himself from what would come next. However, she didn't appear to be looking at him. He turned his head to follow her gaze, and cringed slightly when he realized that another body was hugging him from behind. To make matters worse, the other body appeared to still be asleep.

An uncomfortable silence followed as Aura's face contorted with disgust. "You couldn't have at least woken up before I came?" she whispered angrily. "You're in a fortress made of solid rock, with no doors or windows to get through!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry… I didn't want any monsters to get in…"

"But I didn't even spawn any monsters in here!"

"Y-you didn't?"

"No, of course not! You're the strongest person in here – if _she_ was causing trouble, you'd be the best chance of taking her down."

"Oh… But what if she was using mind control?"

"Then I would start spawning monsters. But she didn't use mind control, so no monsters. Lord Ainz-sama has been keeping an eye on your status this whole time."

Mare smiled embarrassedly. On the one hand, it made his heart leap to know his master cared that deeply for his safety, but on the other hand, he felt bad for making his lord worry.

"Also, I was gonna apologize for the delay in getting to you, but since all you've been doing is sleeping since Lord Ainz-sama spoke to you, I guess it doesn't matter." Aura showed Mare the face of her prized wristwatch, which indicated that it was midday, instead of early morning, when Ainz had originally said Aura would come.

The lump pressed against Mare's back stirred and mumbled something incomprehensible, then continued its snore-filled slumber.

"…Are we gonna talk about _this_?"

"I-I don't know how… sh-she was asleep in her own bed when I closed my eyes…"

Aura shook her head in disappointment. "If she was a scary monster, you would've been eaten in your sleep." Aura raised her hands like claws and bared her teeth, causing Mare to flinch.

"I-I'm sorry, sis."

"Ugh, it's fine. Lord Ainz-sama said we're supposed to be nice to her now, anyway. Although… I didn't think you'd be into weirdos."

"I-It's not like that!"

"You know, the eyes she gives you are the same eyes that Albedo and Shalltear give to Lord Ainz-sama!" Aura teased.

"S-stop it, sis!"

Suddenly, a new pair of eyes opened, followed by soft sounds of fabrics rubbing. "Good morning, Mare!" Cellica whispered seductively as she gripped his body tighter, rubbing herself against him as if she were cuddling a teddy bear. Then she looked up at Aura, and immediately stopped and blushed. "Oh, you're here…"

"Look here, you hussy! That's my brother you're thrusting your smelly body at! Get your pervy hands off of him or I'll personally make sure you'll never have children!"

Cellica brought her arms off of Mare and retreated to the other half of the bed, pouting slightly.

"Sis, that wasn't very nice…"

"I heard Lady Bukubukuchagama say that to one of the Supreme Ones once… and see, it worked! You don't want _her_ stench all over you, right?"

Cellica started to cry, first with soft sniffles, then with loud, dissonant sobs. Mare went over and hugged her, which calmed her down pretty quickly. "D-don't cry, sis is just teasing."

"N-no! She's right… What I did was really gross."

"…B-but."

"Alright, whatever, it's not that big of a deal! Anyway, I'm supposed to let you out of here, so let's go already!" Aura crossed her arms and looked away. After a few seconds, Mare let go of Cellica and got off the bed, then went into the closet to change his clothes. Cellica stood up as well, and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her robe. She was feeling self-conscious of how sweaty and unclean she felt.

"Y-you don't need to be nervous… Everyone is really nice where we're going!"

"Are you sure? I don't feel very presentable…"

"You'll be staying with me and Mare on the sixth floor of Nazarick for now, and no one there cares much about how you look. Plus, it's where practically all the lower life forms from your world come to live, so you'll be able to make plenty of friends!" Aura added cheerfully.

She escorted them out of the bedroom, and out through a giant hole she had made to the structure. Mare took Cellica's hand as he helped her over some debris, and they exited the structure. Scroll in hand, Aura concentrated for a few seconds, and then the view of the cave warped into that of a bright grassy plain with many gentle hills. Nearby was a wooden cabin, from which a woman wearing a maid's uniform and an eyepatch appeared in the doorway. Cellica shielded her eyes with her arm since she had not yet adjusted to the brightness, so she couldn't make out much detail on her surroundings.

"Welcome to Nazarick. You may call me Shizu. Please, allow me…" the woman said in a flat, emotionless voice. Without waiting for a response, she turned around and gestured towards a [Gate] portal that had just appeared. Aura walked through first, and then Mare gently led Cellica through.

The bright grassland from before was replaced by a bright forest surrounding a lake. In the distance, Cellica could make out a large, wide structure that stood above the tree line. After letting her eyes adjust, she gasped at the beauty of the scene before her. While natural forest was nothing new to her as a wood elf, the diversity and rarity of the plant life blooming before her was awe-inspiring.

"You… live here?" she asked in a voice filled with wonder.

"Yup!" Aura turned her head slightly to answer.

"It's so beautiful…" Cellica's voice trailed off, deep in thought. Part of her heart was willing to abandon her previous plans – her ambitions, her plots for revenge, her fights for her people – if it meant she could live the rest of her life in this place. Before, her pledge of loyalty to Ainz Ooal Gown was strategic, to be thrown away when the time came; now, it seemed blasphemous to even consider rejecting such generosity. At the same time, she couldn't just cast aside her values and leave the rest of her elven brethren to fend for themselves. No, she came to meet with the Sorcerer King for a reason; no matter how much wealth and beauty he offered, she could not let herself forget her purpose.

"I-I'm glad you like it," Mare whispered, cracking a half-smile.

They continued walking until they reached an enormous tree that stood out among the rest, both in height and girth. A large door in the side of the tree opened, and out stepped an elf woman in plain garments to welcome them. The woman bowed much more deeply than Cellica thought she ought to, which annoyed her slightly. Two other elf women stepped outside to greet them, bowing submissively in the same way. Aura casually waved them off as the women quickly stepped aside to let her pass through the entrance.

Cellica couldn't help but squeeze Mare's hand in anger as she quickly nodded in acknowledgment of the three elf servants, before walking inside the tree herself. She had thought something looked off about these elves, and upon closer inspection of their faces, realized that their ears had scars along the same line that the Theocracy would use to make them slaves. Righteous anger burned in Cellica's chest as she was led up several flights of steps to the guest room where she would be staying. It would be unwise of her to make an issue out of this now that she was in someone else's house, but still, her heart was seething while Aura casually pointed out the various amenities in her room.

"I-is something wrong?" Mare asked worriedly. Cellica's hand was still gripped tightly around his, so even if her outward appearance didn't betray her, other things would.

Cellica took a deep breath and decided to face the issue head-on. "Who were those elves we met downstairs?"

"Oh, don't mind them. They won't bother you if you tell them to go away," Aura replied offhandedly.

"They were slaves of the Theocracy, weren't they? Their ears have scars from when they were cut!" There was visible anger in her eyes, to the surprise of both dark elves. This was the angriest they had seen Cellica, and they were quite confused as to why.

"Th-they showed up that way… b-but Lord Ainz-sama in his mercy healed them and let them live with us."

"Yeah, after they broke into Nazarick with a bunch of human scum!"

"You didn't even heal them fully! And, you still treat them like slaves!"

"Huh? It's reward enough that they get to serve the Supreme Beings, even if they're a bit useless…"

Cellica let go of Mare's hand and touched the tips of her ears with her hands. "These ears are the badge of an elf's identity. You take that away from us, and…and…" Tears began forming in her eyes. Mare stepped closer to comfort her, but her eyes flared as if to tell him to stay away. "…It's how _they_ make us inferior," she hissed. "If you knew anything about the struggles of your own kind, maybe you would understand!"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Sheesh! Is it really _that_ big of a deal?" Aura crossed her arms and leaned in closer to Mare. "I didn't realize that she's even more sensitive than _you_…" she whispered loudly enough for Cellica to hear.

"Yes, it is important! How can you have so much disdain for your fellow elves? How can you so casually murder them with no remorse? You're a monster!" Cellica glared directly at Aura, remembering the soldier that had been killed protecting her.

"Seriously? That's what this is about? I already said I was sorry," Aura shrugged in slight annoyance.

"His life matters, too."

"Well, obviously not as much as yours. Otherwise, why would you have him throw his life away protecting you?"

"I didn't ask him to do that…" Cellica mumbled ashamedly, mostly to herself.

"Well, whatever. You'll get over it. It's no different from all those humans you killed."

"…Are you trying to piss me off?"

"Hmph… For someone with your reputation, you're easy to offend."

"Sis, can you please stop being mean to her? Sh-she's our guest now…"

Cellica wiped away her tears and took a few deep breaths. "Okay, if I'm going to stay here with you two, can you promise me something? Can you promise to treat those elves with respect, and to _fully _restore their ears?"

Mare shifted uncomfortably before quietly agreeing to Cellica's demands. Aura crossed her arms tighter and grunted in a vague affirmative.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for getting angry." Cellica approached Mare timidly, and he opened his arms slightly so that she could hug him.

"Um… d-do you want to take a bath now?"

Cellica blushed and pulled away her arms. She was afraid to smell herself for fear of the stench being even worse than she imagined. "Oh… yes, please…"

"Alright, let's go, stinky… you too, Mare." Aura started walking out of the room, followed by Cellica and then Mare.

"But sis, I just took one three days ago…"

"Well, too bad. Her smell is all over you now."

"Is it really that bad?"

"…Y-yes, sorry."

Momentarily alone in one of Nazarick's dozens of spa pools, Cellica sighed and stretched out her limbs, then dipped her head underneath the bubbling warm water. She had read about oases and their rejuvenating effects in several tales involving long journeys, but she had never been able to truly experience them. In her village, bathing was merely a mildly soothing experience that Cellica generally shunned, since she couldn't bring her books with her. Being alone with one's thoughts had never been all that appealing to her, but now she began to understand how others could relax for hours while doing absolutely nothing.

"Banzai!"

Cellica turned to see a fleshy, tan blur leap from one of the boulders surrounding the pool, before being splashed by the large shock wave that crashed against her face. Wiping the water out of her eyes, she saw Aura swimming towards her.

"I thought you looked lonely here, so I thought I'd drop in."

"…Thanks, I guess."

"You know, if you stay in here too long, your skin starts getting all wrinkly and gross, like a zombie."

Cellica brought her hands out of the water to check her fingers, which indeed had begun to wrinkle. "I'll get out in a few minutes. This water is really nice."

Aura moved in closer, so that she was directly to Cellica's right with her back against the edge of the pool. While the bubbles on the water's surface distorted the view, Cellica still squirmed slightly from having her personal space invaded.

"So, is Nazarick awesome, or what?" Aura grinned innocently as she tried to make small talk.

"Yeah."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed and Aura frowned. Then, she pulled her right arm back a few inches and sent a light splash into Cellica's face. After coughing out some water and wiping her eyes, Cellica noticed the slight grin forming on Aura's face. Interpreting the splash as a playful one, she cupped her hands together and sent a short splash right back at Aura. Not to be one-upped, Aura rotated her hips and thrust back with a bit more force than before, sending a foot-high wave crashing down onto Cellica's head.

The distance between the two girls widened as the match continued, though Cellica quickly reached her peak after only a couple splashes. After a few minutes, Aura noted the fatigue that was setting into her opponent and launched into her grand finale, a tidal wave several meters high that sent almost half of the pool's water spilling over the edge. One of the golems standing guard nearby shifted in disapproval, causing Aura to wince apologetically. Both girls were red-faced and giggling profusely.

After gaining some of her composure, Cellica hugged her now-exposed chest before climbing out of the pool. "Okay, I think I'm ready for a break."

"Ah, so you're admitting defeat? I don't blame you!"

Cellica shivered slightly as the warm water on her skin evaporated away in the slight breeze. Her hair clung to her shoulders and back, and would likely take a few hours to fully dry. She looked over to see Aura climb out as well, though she didn't seem to react much to the temperature difference. Cellica reflexively put her arm in front of her face to protect from being pummeled as Aura shook out her golden hair. She was slightly intimidated by how unconcerned Aura was about exposing herself, but maybe she was just being prudish.

"Before we go, you wanna see my secret spot for spying on the boys?" Aura flashed a devilishly fanged grin. Cellica thought she saw the golem from before narrowing its eyes in their direction, though she couldn't tell for sure because of its rocky features. As if to nullify her concerns, Aura added, "Relax, we won't get in any trouble." To further her point, she leaned into Cellica's ear and whispered, "I outrank him."

Cellica looked back at the golem and saw that it remained unmoved, though its disapproving glare was still evident. She turned her head and walked over to where Aura was squatting by some thick bushes. "Now let's see who we have here…" she was mumbling to herself, before sighing in disappointment. "Eh, just my brother…"

"Can I see?" Cellica asked, with just a little too much excitement in her voice. To her slight surprise, Aura shifted her position and gestured toward the small gap in the bushes that she was peering through.

Cellica stepped forward nervously before getting into a crouched position. After some past trauma in her childhood, she had internalized a preference for women, but that identity had been thoroughly shattered when she met Mare. However, did she find him beautiful only when he was dressed in women's clothing? She had tried to avert her eyes from resting for too long on Aura's body, even though childish curiosity nagged her constantly. But, on the other side of the bushes, would she find something that she liked better? What would it mean if she found Mare's natural form repulsive?

Lost in her thoughts, Cellica realized that she had closed her eyes without actually taking a peek. After a deep breath, she slowly opened them and took in the narrow view of the other pool. Fortunately, the boy several meters away had his back to her, with everything below his shoulder blades occluded from view. Relieved, Cellica allowed her brain to fully process what she was seeing.

Mare was using a washcloth on his back, while humming softly to himself. It seemed slightly childish to Cellica, but she thought it was kind of cute. She had only been watching for a few seconds, but could feel Aura's weighty gaze on the back of her head. It would be weird to continue looking.

"Oh, nothing interesting…" Cellica commented. "Does he always sing when he takes a bath?"

Aura blushed in embarrassment, and nodded in the affirmative, causing Cellica to giggle. Slightly annoyed at this, Aura shouted over the bushes, "Yo Mare! You missed a spot!"

The faint humming stopped and a voice cried out, "Sis! St-stay on your side!"

"I _am_ on my side! Your girlfriend Cellica is here with me!"

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!"

"Well, she looked _really_ interested peeking at you through the bushes!"

They heard a squeal from the other pool and the sound of light splashing. Before she could tease him some more, Aura turned around to face the presence that she sensed walking towards her.

"My, my, taking a peek through _my_ spot, I see…"

Cellica turned around to see another girl standing a few meters away, her torso wrapped tightly with a large towel. The girl was vaguely humanoid, though her pale, bloodless skin and ravenous red eyes indicated she was something else, probably a vampire. Her lilac-tinted silver hair fell past her shoulders, while the towel folds around her chest gave her an unnaturally top-heavy figure.

Besides Shizu and the elf servants at Aura and Mare's house, this was the first person to speak to Cellica since she arrived at Nazarick. She had seen a few other people as well, but they were quick to avoid contact.

"Hey! You know you're not supposed to…" Aura's voice drifted off as her eyes pointed emphatically toward Cellica.

The other girl seemed to be unconcerned, though, and replied, "Oh, but what if I just happened to bump into you two?" Without waiting for a permissive response, she grinned, "I think I'm seeing double, shorty. I wonder which one of you shrimps would make the better goblin queen…"

Not sure whether to take that as a compliment, Cellica bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment.

"Oh, please excuse my rudeness. My name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. It is a pleasure to meet you, Great Manipulator." The vampire giggled slightly at Cellica's title, which couldn't possibly be an appropriate moniker for such a skinny little shrimp. However, she had ventured to the spa for a purpose, even if the benefits wouldn't materialize. Shalltear activated her Mystic Eyes of Charm on the naked wood elf in front of her.

"You can call me Cellica." She added an uncharacteristic warmth to that greeting, as if the woman before her was an old friend. Cellica wasn't sure why she felt such affection to this Shalltear, who couldn't possibly have been someone she had met before and forgotten. There was some hesitation, since she was unsure whether this vampire was someone worth getting closer to, and didn't want to accidentally anger Aura by being too polite and eager.

"Come on, we're leaving." Aura grabbed Cellica's arm and started to march away, though Shalltear had moved to block their exit.

"You can't even chat for a little bit? Who's going to keep me company as I prepare for our lord's return?"

At that, Aura stopped walking and Cellica could feel her pulse quicken. "Lord Ainz is coming back early?"

"No, but I figured that I'd be a horrible bride if, on the small chance he was to suddenly appear before me, I wasn't at my freshest."

Aura rolled her eyes and started walking forward again, with only a meter between them.

"It'll at least give me an edge in the competition for our lord over that gorilla, Albedo, don't you think?" She searched for any sign of response in Cellica's eyes, before stepping aside to let the two girls pass.

Thinking over her limited opportunities to network with Nazarick thus far, Cellica weighed the pros and cons of speaking up. On the one hand, it was clear that people were avoiding her for a reason, probably on orders from someone higher up, so it could be dangerous to say something. On the other hand, she needed to be as prepared as possible for her meeting with Lord Ainz in two days, and this person was practically begging to trade information with her. Plus, every time she looked into Shalltear's eyes, she felt a nagging pull to speak up and offer friendly advice. Deciding to take the gamble, which so far had paid off, Cellica lightly tugged on Aura's arm and replied, "Wait. May I say something? This will only take a minute."

Shalltear's eyes widened at hearing her prey take the bait, then looked at Aura expectantly. Aura sighed and shook her head, before shrugging, "Fine, whatever… but it's your own fault if she convinces you to do something stupid."

Shalltear waved her arm playfully. "Thank you for your concern, but I think I can handle whatever this pipsqueak has to say."

All eyes turned towards Cellica. "Okay, well, first, it's unwise for you to ask me to use my powers on your – our – lord."

Aura nodded vigorously, while Shalltear blushed from having her plot so simply exposed. She opened her mouth to deny it, but Cellica put up her hand to stop her.

Cellica continued, "Second, if Lord Ainz isn't giving you the love you desire, it might not be your fault." She paused and thought back on the various stories she had read in which a female character had trouble getting her love interest to reciprocate. Often, the love interest suffered from past trauma, or feared that giving out their love would bring danger to their lover. However, these things didn't seem to be relevant for a powerful ruler like Lord Ainz.

Additionally, from Shalltear's tone it seemed like Lord Ainz wasn't giving very much physical love to any of his courters. Many rulers took on multiple lovers, of which sex could be seen as a reward, but it didn't sound like Shalltear was getting anything. So, advice that would put her over the top of her rivals might be pointless if none of her rivals received such rewards from Lord Ainz in the first place. _I guess there's always the possibility that he isn't attracted to women_.

Considering the possibilities, Cellica realized that she forgot a potential critical piece of information: The fact that Lord Ainz was undead. While vampires were a major exception, none of the undead she had encountered in her reading were ever described as being particularly lustful or romantic. Plus, was Lord Ainz even of a race that could reproduce sexually? _I might just be stating the obvious…_

Without anything more convincing to go on, Cellica followed her soft compliment with an explanation. "I suspect Lord Ainz is incapable – er, has no need for – physical attraction."

Realizing that a more optimistic explanation would be more beneficial to her perceived usefulness to this depraved and deprived vampire, Cellica added, "However, you might be able to change that, with magic items."

She had no basis for making such a declaration – she had read about love potions, as well as race-changing spells that she supposed would restore some biological urges – but, there were no guarantees that such things existed, and if they did, that they would work on Lord Ainz. Nevertheless, Shalltear seemed to find her suggestions to be meaningful, so she continued, "Now, if it's just his body that you want, you have a lot more options; if what you really want is his love, that's going to be a lot more difficult. You should be grateful that none of your rivals have succeeded…yet."

Shalltear blinked before nodding as if she understood. She was expecting Cellica to give her more concrete recommendations, like using a certain type of perfume or wearing a particular style of clothing; instead, she got a bitter taste of reality mixed with a faint sliver of hope. At least now she had an idea of things to look for, and, more importantly, reassurance that her efforts weren't futile. Then, an agonizing thought crossed her mind: _I wonder if Albedo's already figured this out… I bet she's already secretly looking for those items… That scheming bitch!_

It became apparent to Shalltear that she was woefully behind her main rival, and up until a moment ago, didn't even realize it. Maybe she could leverage some of this tiny elf's wisdom to win back the upper hand – at the very least, Shalltear intended to consult her again. "Thank you, Great M – sorry, Cell-ick-uh. May I consult with you about this matter in the future?"

"Of course. I have this funny feeling like we're good friends, like from a forgotten past…"

"Erm, I… have that feeling too," Shalltear lied as she hurriedly de-activated her charming eyes. "So, until we meet again?"

"Sure." Even without being charmed currently, Cellica still felt a residual friendliness towards the vampire.

"Yes! I mean, good, thank you. I know what I must do now!" With that, Shalltear turned around and walked briskly toward the spa exit, much to Cellica's confusion.

Once Shalltear was out of hearing distance, Aura sighed deeply and turned towards her fellow elf. She put her hand on her shoulder and looked her directly in the eye. "Can you please not do that ever again?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want her to do anything stupid…"

"I… was just trying to be nice. Did-did I say something wrong?"

"I don't know yet…" Aura started walking towards the exit, stopping only to pick up a towel from a neatly stacked pile. She tossed one over to Cellica, who promptly wrapped herself. "Well, don't beat yourself up over it."

"Thanks…" Cellica paused, wanting to say more but not knowing the right way to express herself. "Um, thank you… for hanging out with me… I hope… we can be friends," she stammered.

Aura furrowed her brow for a moment, then raised her shoulders in a shrug. "Sure, whatever, we can be friends."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now come on – I don't wanna be late for dinner!"


End file.
